Scarlet Lightning
by Eternalangel15
Summary: In another story, he's still human, following the path of thunder, but in this one, he's a monster. However, that still doesn't stop him from meeting a red-haired boy that is far too trusting for his own good. (Demon Zenitsu AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I probably should be writing another chapter for my other stories and not this, but I couldn't resist writing something for an anime I absolutely love. This short AU piece is a one-shot. However, I think I may end up writing more if I find the time to when I'm not busy with school or work. Anyhow, please do enjoy and review!

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**Chapter 1**

It was a happy dream.

A dream where he didn't have to hide in the comfort of the dark house he had taken shelter in.

A dream where there was no gnawing pain from his stomach that kept him tormented from days on end.

And a dream where he could walk freely under the sun once again.

But this wasn't a dream.

This was a nightmare.

Zenitsu shuddered and shuffled closer to the dark corner he had taken shelter in. Getting sleep was almost near impossible now. Not without the constant gnawing pain from his stomach waking him up every few hours. It was becoming almost unbearable to ignore the hunger. Especially when the sounds he heard every day from the town nearby only made his hunger worsen.

What was once a sense of comfort now made Zenitsu become fearful of what he would do if he continued to hear those sounds.

Every breath and heartbeat made him salivate, while the sound of blood circulating made him imagine what it would taste like. Of course, he quickly shook those thoughts away every time, shameful that he would even think of such thoughts, but they always remained in the back of his head as a constant reminder of what he had become.

Zenitsu wanted to go home so badly. He wanted to see Gramps again, even if it meant seeing the look of disappointment on his face. It was pathetic, really, that he couldn't even meet up to Gramp's expectations of him. Gramps had spent all those years training him after paying off his debt. Even if he wasn't cut out to be a demon slayer, he was supposed to prove to his grandfather that all those years he spent training him wasn't useless. He had already passed the Final Selection and became a demon slayer. There was still so much more Zenitsu needed to do.

But now, he couldn't.

"Gramps," Zenitsu whispered as he brought his legs closer to his chest. "I'm sorry."

No matter how much he wanted to go home, Zenitsu knew he couldn't. It was better if he didn't make any contact with his Gramps and let him think he was dead. At least so that he didn't have to see what one of his students had become. It wasn't fair for him to see that Zenitsu had failed him. Especially, since he was the only one who had believed in Zenitsu from the very beginning.

Zenitsu felt tears form and began to fall upon his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them away. Instead, he turned his head towards the only thing that was in the dark room with him. The thing he had thrown against the wall with no remorse and left.

It was his sword, a beautiful blade that did not form a solid coloration, but instead a lightning pattern that traveled up the blade. Zenitsu remembered the look on Gramp's face when he first held onto his newly formed blade after being given it from his swordsmith. It was a look that held nothing but pride. Oh, how much Zenitsu wished he could have begged to stay with Gramps after getting his sword. Because right after seeing it, his grandfather had sent him off.

Zenitsu cursed at his sword. Because of it, he had been forced to set out a lot sooner than he had wished to start his duty as a demon slayer. Not to mention the fact that his first mission didn't go as well as he wished. If anything, it seemed like he had been cursed by the gods into misfortune. Things never went right for him. And the sword laying down on the ground was now a constant reminder of that. He had always told Gramps that the demon slayer life wasn't right for him. That he could never be strong enough to achieve that kind of life. It's because he was weak that he had turned into the thing he was supposed to kill.

Zenitsu wondered why he hadn't picked up his blade. If he was being honest, he had thoughts of ending it all and slicing his neck off, but not once had he made his way to the blade. He wanted to think it was because he was weak. But if that was the case, why was he constantly ignoring the hunger that never died down every day? If he was weak, he would have long since caved into the hunger and started his rampage to taste the succulent blood that whispered into his ear from morning to dusk in a continuous cycle. No, he wanted to think it was because he was scared to die. After all, there was still so much he wanted to do.

Zenitsu had a dream to get married. He wanted to get married to a beautiful girl that wouldn't leave him like all the past girls he had attempted to build a life with. He wanted to go on dates and hold hands with a girl that was strong enough to protect him and herself, but also hear the beautiful sound she would make every time she laughed as her heart beat in unison. He wanted to hear her beautiful voice and enjoy the comfort her beating heart would bring him.

But that would never happen now. Not with Zenitsu's appearance. Any girl that sees him would surely run away now, never giving him a chance. It wasn't a life worth living if he couldn't fulfill his dream of happily marrying a girl that would love him despite all his flaws. If anything, it was better for Zenitsu to end the nightmare. He didn't want to risk hurting anyone. His kindness was one of the very things he had left.

So why? After everything, why couldn't he just take his sword and kill himself? Why was he still trying to still stay alive when it was torturing him to ignore the constant hunger while knowing that things could never be the same? He was a monster now. What good was it to continue to live if he no longer could fulfill his dream?

Zenitsu sniffled as the salty tears continued to fall. He really needed to start being positive, but it was getting harder to with every passing day. For every little thing, he found that he could dream about having, it was completely brushed aside by cruel reality. He couldn't understand why he kept fighting it. There was no need for him to dream anymore. Not when there was nothing left for him to look forward to.

Zenitsu had no idea how long he cried, but when he finally got off from the dark corner he had ushered himself to, he had found himself gazing at the small window that was in the room with him. It was dusk now, long since the last time he had gazed outside. Even though he knew he should cover the window, Zenitsu had kept himself from doing so. It bothered him. The sun could kill him now and yet here he was, still always attempting to catch a glimpse of the streaks of light that would come through. A monster like him should be afraid of what could kill him.

But the sad truth was that he wasn't.

In fact, he missed the sun. He had taken it for granted. It was painful to think that never again would he be able to feel the warm streaks of sunlight on his body every morning and be able to walk anywhere under the comfort of the light. No, all he had now was the cold darkness of the abandoned house he had taken shelter in. The closest he could get to the sun was watching it from afar from the window in the tiny room he was in. He could never let the sunlight touch him again.

And Zenitsu absolutely hated this fact.

Sighing, Zenitsu moved away from the window to walk back to his corner. Even though the night was approaching, Zenitsu knew he could never allow himself to leave the house. Even though he had the freedom to move around in the night, he did not trust himself to be around people. Not when he was so hungry.

"Maybe I should try to hunt for animals…" Zenitsu murmured to himself.

He could never eat humans, but an animal might suffice. He just hoped it could satisfy his hunger long enough for him to decide what to do next. He couldn't stay in the abandoned house forever. There was a possibility that he could be discovered by someone. He was afraid of what would happen to that person who did so. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

And he absolutely didn't want to eat a person and take their life away.

Zenitsu sighed at this thought. Yeah, he really was just too kind. For now, he would try to get some sleep. It may not help, but at least it would help him take his mind off of things. Now the only problem was to actually fall asleep. He was so restless and tired of listening to everything that made his stomach churned. He just wanted to hear something else that would give him comfort and a sense of peace.

That was when Zenitsu heard something that made his heart stop.

It was a lovely sound, so gentle that it made Zenitsu want to cry. He had heard many sounds before and the only sound that has ever made Zenitsu feel at ease belonged to Gramps. While the sound of Gramps was loud like thunder, underneath the thunderstorm was a sea of calmness that always made Zenitsu feel that he was safe. But the sound he was hearing now was nothing like that. It was so gentle and kind. All Zenitsu wanted to do was continue to listen to it.

That was until Zenitsu realized that the sound was getting closer to the house he took shelter in.

Zenitsu widened his eyes at this realization and quickly looked around for a place to hide. There was no mistake that the gentle sound belonged to a human. But no matter how kind the human sounded, he couldn't let himself be seen by them. He was afraid that he would hurt them.

He couldn't allow himself to hurt someone with such a gentle sound.

However, there was nowhere for Zenitsu to hide. The room he was in was empty with no furniture. The only thing that was a possible escape route for Zenitsu was the open window, but Zenitsu knew he couldn't do that. It was still daylight outside. If he tried to jump out, he would be burned alive.

As Zenitsu decided this, he shuddered as he heard the front door open. He whimpered once he heard footsteps began to get closer. There was no denying he was scared. He wished that he could hide, but there was nothing to cover himself with. Not even the darkness would help, given how bright his blond hair was. He would be easily seen by whoever was getting closer to him.

_Creak._

Zenitsu felt his breath hitch as the door to his room opened. There was nothing he could do to escape the human. Whoever was there would surely see him standing in the middle of the floor in the open. It was too late to do anything to help conceal himself. All he could do now was hope that he had enough willpower to not hurt the person who found him, but even then Zenitsu didn't fully trust himself.

That was why Zenitsu dropped himself to his knees and buried his head to his knees.

Zenitsu was afraid that if he took one look at the stranger, he would hurt him. No, even eat him.

Zenitsu felt his stomach growl at this thought.

"No!" Zenitsu shouted at himself, terrified at the idea that a part of himself actually wanted that. He turned his attention back to the human and addressed them with terror in his voice.

"P-please go away! You shouldn't be here! I'm a demon, you know! I could eat you, so please go home!"

But the human didn't listen to him. In fact, the human began to take steps, getting closer to Zenitsu inch by inch. With each step the human took, Zenitsu felt his whole body began to tremble. Why couldn't the human just listen? Humans were supposed to be terrified of demons. Any sane human would have scrambled out of the house upon taking sight on him to escape. So why couldn't this one just do the same?

"P-Please!" Zenitsu cried out. "I am a demon! Demons eat humans! I-I could eat you! So leave, please!"

But the footsteps kept coming.

"Are you even listening?! Don't get any closer! You must have a family, right? And friends? Think about them! There's so much to live for! You can turn back and go home to them!"

Again, another footstep.

"Please!" Zenitsu begged. "You can stop! You can turn back and go home! I just…"

One last footstep.

"I don't want to hurt you!"

And then, Zenitsu felt strong warm arms wrap themselves around him, pulling him into the stranger's chest.

Zenitsu felt his body tremble at the comfort of the arms around him as the stranger's heartbeat vibrated against Zenitsu's ears. It was so soothing. He didn't want to admit it, but Zenitsu didn't want the stranger to let go of him. It wasn't that Zenitsu didn't like the contact the boy gave him. No, it was far from the truth.

Zenitsu loved it.

And that idea scared him.

"W-why?" Zenitsu breathed with tears in his eyes. "I could hurt you…"

"I don't think you will hurt me." The stranger said and Zenitsu felt the arms gently pull away from him, allowing Zenitsu to finally see who had come in.

It was a boy, around his age, with ruffled burgundy hair combed back and warm, red dark eyes that continued to stare down at him. The longer Zenitsu stared at the boy's eyes, the more Zenitsu wanted to cry even more. The boy's eyes said it all. Zenitsu didn't even have to listen to the gentle sound that came from the boy's heartbeat to confirm the unmistakable truth. The boy didn't care that Zenitsu was a demon.

He completely trusted Zenitsu.

"My name is Kamado Tanjiro. What's your name?" The boy asked with a gentle smile.

"Agatsuma Zenitsu…" Zenitsu said quietly, still stunned that Tanjiro was not at all scared of him. He shook his head in disbelief and decided to question Tanjiro.

"Tanjiro, why aren't you scared of me? I'm a demon. Demons eat humans. That's a good enough reason for any human to be scared of them."

Tanjiro tilted his head slightly but smiled brightly.

"It's because you are a kind person."

Zenitsu gave Tanjiro a deadpanned look and shook his head in annoyance. While Tanjiro was a person that made a sound so gentle that Zenitsu didn't like the idea of it leaving him, it was not hard to put it together that Tanjiro was too trusting.

Although, if Zenitsu had to admit it, he was actually happy that Tanjiro was like that.

Zenitsu felt his lips curve into a smile at this thought and looked down, only to catch the unmistakable black outfit Tanjiro was wearing. It was the same outfit given to Zenitsu to wear after he had passed the Final Selection.

It was a demon slayer uniform.

Zenitsu widened his eyes as he felt a wave of fear shook his body. Even though it was undeniable the someone with such a gentle sound wouldn't hurt him, Zenitsu felt his body move back with a tremor in his limbs. A demon slayer killed demons. HE was a demon.

Tanjiro was supposed to KILL him.

As if Tanjiro heard his thoughts, Tanjiro laughed, taking a few steps forward.

"Ah, don't worry. I know I am a demon slayer, but I won't hurt you."

Tanjiro stopped before Zenitsu and pointed to his nose. "See, my nose is very sharp. I could tell what kind of person you were the moment I walked into this house. You are kind and strong, but also…"

Tanjiro frowned and placed his hand down back to his side.

"Sad and lonely."

Zenitsu found he couldn't say anything in reply. Tanjiro was right. He was sad and lonely. And maybe much more afraid than he would ever admit. He couldn't go back to the life he once had. He was a demon now. There was no life to live for a demon.

And yet, Zenitsu wanted to continue to live. He wanted to go out and walk under the sun again and never feel the agonizing hunger that gnawed at him in an endless cycle.

No, he wanted to go out and live his life and fulfill his dreams. He wanted to make new friends and find someone that would love him. But most of all…

_He wanted to see his Gramps again. _

"Is that your sword?"

Zenitsu blinked, shaken out of his thoughts, finding Tanjiro pointing at his sword that was still lying on the other side of the room. The red-haired boy walked over to the sword and picked it up, bringing it over to Zenitsu with a gentle smile.

"You're a demon slayer, right? You should take better care of your sword."

Zenitsu frowned and looked slightly away from the sword that was in Tanjiro's hand.

"I don't want it…" Zenitsu muttered in a sullen tone.

"Ah? But why not?"

Zenitsu shook his head. "I-I can't stand to look at it. Because..Because of it, I…"

"It's okay." Tanjiro suddenly said with a gentle voice. "I can hold on to it for you until then."

Zenitsu widened his eyes and looked up at Tanjiro with confusion, not grasping if he heard Tanjiro correctly? Hold on it for him? What did Tanjiro mean? As in staying with him? Was Tanjiro actually suggesting that he wanted to stay with him? Oh, how much Zenitsu wanted to call Tanjiro a bluff for even suggesting that, but the longer he stared at Tanjiro's eyes, the more he began to realize Tanjiro was speaking the truth.

_He actually wanted to stay with HIM, a demon of all things. _

"Hey, Zenitsu, would you like to come with me? I think it would be nice to travel with another person. It's lonely just traveling by myself."

"But…" Zenitsu murmured, looking over to the box on Tanjiro's back. There was no mistake in what was in the box. It was another demon. It was making the same sound all demons made, _what Zenitsu now made_. So how could Tanjiro say he was lonely when he already had a companion, a demon nonetheless. It was absurd.

And yet, strangely enough, Zenitsu was happy that Tanjiro asked if he wanted to go with him. Tanjiro made him feel relaxed and at peace, as if nothing was wrong with the world around him.

But Tanjiro needed to be slapped with cruel reality.

"I-I can't…" Zenitsu said hesitantly. "I can't go out during the day."

"Oh, that's okay. I can find another box for you to stay in during the daytime."

"A box?" Zenitsu asked with a deadpan expression. No matter how absurd it sounded, he knew it was possible given how the other demon was currently in the same box on Tanjiro's back. Although, Zenitsu wondered how cramped that demon was inside the box. Also, carrying him and the other demon would probably be hard for Tanjiro. A demon slayer often went on long journeys for each mission and Zenitsu knew that if Tanjiro tried to carry him as well as the other demon with him, it would only weigh the boy down, which would make it easy for a demon to kill him.

And that was something Zenitsu didn't want.

"I can't," Zenitsu said quietly. "I don't want to weigh you down. You're already carrying another demon."

Tanjiro widened his eyes as if he just realized this, which only made Zenitsu raise his eyebrows in question. If Zenitsu had any suspicion about Tanjiro's intelligence before, he definitely didn't now. Tanjiro definitely was the type of person that didn't think about things thoroughly.

"Tanjiro," Zenitsu said solemnly. "I'm grateful that you want me to come with you, but it's impossible. I can't come with you."

Tanjiro shook his head and walked forward, taking Zenitsu's hand into his and stared straight at the other boy's eyes. Despite all odds, there was still resolve lit in Tanjiro's eyes. Zenitsu could do nothing but be mesmerized by it. He was stunned at how the boy in front of him still could not even despair when he, himself, had despaired from the very beginning since his transformation to a demon

"We'll find a way, Zenitsu," Tanjiro said gently with a smile. "So…"

"_Don't give up_."

Zenitsu couldn't help but smile at Tanjiro's words. How often had his Gramps told him the exact same words during every training session? The words should have been embedded in his head by now, and yet, he had forgotten. He had forgotten the gift of finding the courage to keep moving forward. His Gramps surely would be beating him up for forgetting.

"Stupid…" Zenitsu muttered to himself as he wiped away the tears that had somehow found their way to his cheeks. With hesitance, he took a deep breath and looked back up at Tanjiro.

"Are you sure you want me to come with you?"

"Of course!" Tanjiro answered brightly.

Zenitsu frowned. "But I'm super weak and hungry. I won't be of any help."

"Then I'll protect you! I promise!"

Zenitsu widened his eyes at Tanjiro's answer. That was it. There was no more denying it anymore. He WANTED to go with Tanjiro, even if it was unquestionably impossible. He wanted to go outside and experience the world, make new friends, and find someone he could love. And maybe even see his Gramps and apologize. But most of all…

_He wanted to be with Tanjiro._

"Hmm… I haven't tried it yet, but maybe we can cover you in even more cloth." Tanjiro suddenly said, getting Zenitsu's attention.

"Eh?"

"Oh and we can use a mask to cover your face! I think it will work to keep the sunlight from burning you."

"Wait-" Zenitsu said, but it seemed like it was far too late. Tanjiro had his mind on a solution and it looked like he was not going to listen to Zenitsu's doubts for it. Zenitsu wasn't sure what to do at that point, but he was oddly contempt with it. It made him glad that Tanjiro wanted to do something for him even though the two had just met. Even though Tanjiro probably would never realize it, Zenitsu was grateful for him finding him.

Zenitsu was set on going with him.

"Ah, can you wait here for the night?" Tanjiro asked. "I promise I'll be back tomorrow. I have to go into the town nearby and find what we'll need."

Zenitsu wanted to say no but found that he couldn't. Instead, he simply nodded, watching as the other boy gave him another bright smile and turned to leave. Zenitsu watched him leave all the way until he disappeared beyond the rows of trees that surrounded the small house. It wasn't until Zenitsu could no longer hear the soft melody that Tanjiro's heart made that he decided to lay down and look up at the ceiling.

"He will come back," Zenitsu whispered to himself with a smile. He trusted Tanjiro. Waiting for him would be long and agonizing, but Zenitsu knew he would come back. Tanjiro would never abandon him.

And with that thought, Zenitsu smiled and closed his eyes, finally getting the rest he had long sought for without any hunger tormenting him.

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Zenitsu started at the wide opened front door. Even though there was not that much sunlight outside, he was still afraid to take that step out. Scratch that, he was terrified. Yes, every part of his skin was now fully covered thanks to the extra clothing and mask Tanjirou had gotten for him, but Zenitsu had no way of knowing if it would even work. The sun could easily kill him. One step was all it would take to decide if Zentusu would be burned alive or not. It was not a choice Zenitsu was brave enough to make on his own.

"Zenitsu?"

Zenitsu blinked and turned to the kind-hearted boy that had called out to him, who was looking at him with concern. Tanjiro was still waiting for him to take a step forward.

"I-I can't." Zenitsu stuttered in fear as he began to take a step back. "What if this doesn't work?! What if the sunlight touches me?! I could be burned alive, you know! I could-!"

Before Zenitsu could even shout out another word, Tanjiro moved forward and gently grasped onto Zenitsu's hand that was wrapped in thick bandages. Zenitsu widened his eyes at the contact as Tanjiro's heartbeat echoed in his ears. The yellow-haired boy looked up at the other smiled down at him.

"I'll walk with you, okay?"

Every cell in Zenitsu's body screamed at him to say no, to say that he didn't want to do this anymore, but instead, all he could do was nod his head.

"Okay."

And with gentleness, Tanjiro guided Zenitsu out the door. After the first step Zenitsu took, he immediately shut his eyes. It was foolish, but he didn't want to see any part of himself catching on fire nor see the look Tanjiro would make if that indeed happened. He was afraid of how that would hurt Tanjiro and the lovely melody of his heartbeat.

But the longer Zenitsu shut his eyes to the world, the more he began to realize that nothing had changed to the gentle sound that belonged to Tanjiro. In fact, it seemed to have only gotten stronger with each passing second as if nothing was wrong.

That was when Zenitsu decided to open his eyes.

Finding Tanjiro standing in front of him, illuminated by the soft light of the sun.

Upon setting his sight on Tanjiro, Zenitsu felt himself gasp as he tried to choke back the tears that had managed to appear. He felt his legs suddenly begin to go weak, becoming unbelievably hard to continue to stand upright. He barely heard Tanjiro call out his name as the red-haired boy rushed forward to help him. No, what Zenitsu was focused on was the beating of his heart.

It was making a beautiful sound, which could only mean…

"I'm alive." Zenitsu breathed.

And he smiled as Tanjiro's own sound mixed in unison with his.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So I told myself I wasn't going to write more so soon since I have a large amount of work and projects to finish for my classes, but I ended up writing anyway. However, I probably won't update so soon as this time since midterm is coming up for me and I need to start preparing for my exams. It's not that I am saying I won't write another chapter (given how my track record is with my stories), but I will say it will take time for me to write the next one. Also, a huge thank you to all those that favorited, followed and reviewed. I honestly didn't think anyone would even like what I wrote, so it made me even more excited to write more. Thank you so much!

**Mermaid's Magic: **Thank you and Inosuke won't be a demon in this story. However, I might write a bonus scene of him being one and the pillars' reaction to Tanjiro's collection of demons. It's too funny of an idea to not write. XD

**jrmin:** Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy reading this story!

**LittleChomper: **Thank you!

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**Chapter 2**

Zenitsu stared wide-eyed at the illuminated large buildings around him. Tanjiro's crow had ordered them (more like screeched at them) to head to a new destination a day before, which happened to be Asakusa, a large city in Tokyo. Although slightly nervous, Zenitsu was all the more happy to be able to venture into a city. It had been so long since he even had the chance to go into a large city like Asakusa. Near the place Gramps lived beyond the orchid of peach trees and mountains in the distance, there was a city as well. Although it wasn't as large in size as in comparison to Asakusa, it still was a bright place to see during the night. Gramps would often take him on special occasions. It was always memorizing to walk around the city as it was illuminated by the bright lights. Those moments were the times Zenitsu looked back to the most.

And now, he was lucky enough to be able to enjoy another moment in a brightly lit city with his companion.

Speaking of his companion…

"Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked as he turned towards the red-haired boy.

The boy in question didn't respond, only staying silent as he stared wide-eyed at the city of lights around him. Next to him, his demon sister, Nezuko, dozed on peacefully, as she shifted her head up and down with each breath she took. Zenitsu stared at the two worriedly. From what Tanjiro had told him, the two had come from the countryside where they had spent their whole life growing up. Who knew how the two would take in a city full of lights and people, especially in a city as large as Asakusa? They were bound to become overwhelmed.

And much to Zenitsu's fear, that was indeed what happened. Tanjiro's face began to go deathly pale as his whole body began to tremble. It was apparent that Tanjiro was becoming dizzy from the overwhelming size and advancement of such a city. Before Zenitsu could even question the boy and offer his help to calm him down, Tanjiro took his hand and Nezuko's and guided them down the crowd of people. Zenitsu tried to call out to Tanjiro, but the other boy wouldn't respond. In fact, it seemed like Tanjiro couldn't hear him. It was as if Tanjiro was far too sucked into his own thoughts of the city around them to notice that Zenitsu was trying to talk to him.

The three had run through the city blindness for a good hour before they finally found a spot where there were no large buildings and blinding lights- a location that was on the far side of the city that was far less overwhelming and crowded. Tanjiro led the two demons to the barely lit area in a daze where a lone udon stand stood. Zenitsu watched as the exhausted red-haired boy walked towards the udon stand with him and Nezuko in tow and ordered a bowl of noodles. It wasn't until the three sat down at the nearby bench that Zenitsu decided to try to talk to Tanjiro again.

"Tanjiro, are you okay?"

Tanjiro huffed as he shook his head, obviously still too dizzy from the experience. "I've never been to a place like this before. It's way too crowded."

Zenitsu hummed in agreement. It was indeed too crowded, much more than he ever experienced in a city. But unlike Tanjiro, Zenitsu still had the experience of actually seeing a city. Tanjiro never had that experience being a country boy that grew up in the mountains. It was no wonder that he was in culture shock from the grand scale of a city like Asakusa and the life people experienced in a city. Zenitsu was glad that Tanjiro had led them to a spot that was less crowded with people and barely lit with lights. It would give Tanjiro time to relax and catch his breath.

And who knows, maybe he could even show Tanjiro around! Having that experience of visiting a city was actually handy. Zenitsu could help Tanjiro become adjusted to what life in a city was like. He could show him around the shops and heck, even introduce him to good food (not that he himself could enjoy it). Sure, he was a demon, but it was also night time. Zenitsu had already taken off his mask and fastened it to the side of his head and placed his scarf up a little to cover his mouth to hide his teeth. If he was careful enough, no one would be able to suspect what he was, which meant he could show Tanjiro and Nezuko around!

"Zenitsu?"

Zenitsu blinked and looked over to the red-haired boy, who looked far more calmer now that he had a moment to catch his breath. The kind-hearted boy gave him a gentle smile as he spoke.

"You looked like you are not as shocked as me when we first entered the city. Have you been here before?"

Zenitsu shook his head. "No, but I've been to a city like this one. My Gr-.. er the one who trained me used to take me to the city near where his home was."

"Ah, that explains why you seemed so happy. It must be nice to be in a place like this for you."

Zenitsu's curved his lips upward as he nodded. "Mmm..."

It was nice, more than Zenitsu could ever admit. Just being able to actually see a city bathed in light during the night was something that never crossed his mind after turning into a demon. It was the last thing Zenitsu expected to see given how cities were packed with people. Who knew what a starving demon like him would do? But Tanjiro's presence was keeping that hunger at bay. At least for now, but Zenitsu had no idea how long that would last.

_Growl._

Zenitsu flinched and placed in hand on his stomach mentally berating himself for even thinking that again. He turned towards Nezuko, who had dozed off once more, barely being able to keep herself upright. Tanjiro had explained everything to him about how his and Nezuko's family had been massacred by a demon with only Nezuko being left alive, only to have been transformed into a demon. From what Tanjiro had told him, Nezuko got her energy from sleeping and not from eating human flesh, which always explained why she was always seen asleep. Zenitsu admitted that he had been initially jealous of Nezuko's ability to get her energy that way. He could never do that and he was still struggling to ignore the hunger that Nezuko always seem to have no problem ignoring. But once Zenitsu put more thought into it, the more he began to realize how strong Nezuko was. Ignoring the hunger was one thing, but being able to get the energy by sleeping was a whole another feat. Zenitsu knew he could never do such a thing.

That was why Zenitsu found himself admiring the beautiful younger demon sister.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Zenitsu heard Tanjiro asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

Zenitsu clenched his teeth from underneath his scarf and nodded as he glanced down at the ground, ashamed that it was something he had to admit. Yes, it was becoming easy to ignore the hunger since Tanjiro's gentle sound was there to clear the fogginess from his head, but it was also becoming impossible to ignore how the hunger was affecting him. Zenitsu was sure Tanjiro was beginning to notice how tired he was becoming every day. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, demons got their energy from eating human flesh and HE was a demon. Although Zenitsu could never eat human flesh, he had no idea what he could do to find a solution for his hunger. At this rate, he may die from it.

"I'm sorry, Zenitsu," Tanjiro said with sincerity in his voice. "But I promise I'll help you. Maybe you can sleep like Nezuko? I can still carry you in another box."

Zenitsu turned to Tanjiro with a blank look, stunned that Tanjiro would even suggest that. There was no way he could do that. He was not strong like Nezuko. There was no way he would be able to sleep in exchange for energy. He could barely sleep as it is. And anyway, there was absolutely no way he was going to let Tanjiro carry him. He had initially strongly disagreed with the red-haired boy when he first suggested it when they met. Why couldn't the big airhead see that Zenitsu didn't want to be a burden for him when he already had his sister to take care of?

"No." Zenitsu decided to say as he shook his head. "I already told you I won't do that. Besides, there's no way I'll be able to breathe in a box! Think about me first before you suggest that again, Tanjiro! How can you protect me if I die from suffocating?!"

"I see…" Tanjiro said simply as his lips curved into a smile. He opened his mouth to say more, but he was cut off by the udon stand man who brought him his bowl of noodles.

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro thanked the man and blew on the steaming bowl of noodles before taking a long sip of soup's broth. Zenitsu frowned and looked back down to the ground, wishing he could do the same. He missed eating human food. Especially sweet and expensive food like eel. Oh how much he wished he could eat that again. He had actually tried to eat food that Tanjiro had offered to give to him after the red-haired boy had learned about how hungry he was. Sadly, it didn't work. As soon as Zenitsu had taken a bite out of the rice ball given to him, he had spat it out, completely sick to his stomach. Zenitsu had profusely apologized to Tanjiro for wasting some of his food that he couldn't even eat and yet Tanjiro, being the kind-hearted boy he was, easily forgave him. Even though some of Tanjiro food was wasted, it did allow Zenitsu to see that eating human food was completely out of the question. After all, he was no longer human to do that.

_CRASH!_

Zenitsu felt his body jumped up in fright as he turned to where the direction of the sound came from, finding Tanjiro standing up with a horrified expression, breathing heavily as his nose began to twitch. The bowl of noodles he had just barely begun eating laid on the ground in a mess of food and shattered glass. Zenitsu widened his eyes in concern, scared for his red-headed companion. He had never seen Tanjiro with an expression that spoke of true horror as his sound echoed with anger and fear. The boy was always seen with a gentle expression as the gentle melody of his heartbeat echoed with kindness. But this was a whole new side of Tanjiro that Zenitsu had never seen.

And he was afraid of what made Tanjiro become like that.

"T-Tanjiro?" Zenitsu hesitantly asked. He reached out to grab on to Tanjiro's haori, but Tanjirou took a step away, nose twitching as he looked from one direction from the other. Before Zenitsu could even reach out to Tanjirou again, Tanjiro moved his gaze to the street they had come from and took off without even sparing a look back. Zenitsu called out to Tanjiro, hoping that the red-haired boy would listen, but it was to no avail. Tanjio's form had long disappeared beyond down the street.

"Tanjirooo!" Zenitsu called out, huffing as he turned towards Nezuko who was still asleep. He frowned and took her hand when he realized something- Tanjiro would never leave her behind. She was his only family left and he protected her fiercely as her big brother. Zenitsu had seen the lengths Tanjiro was willing to go for Nezuko. He even carried her in a box! Which meant whatever made Tanjiro took off with that horrified expression was something big enough for him to leave his sister behind.

"Nezuko-chan," Zenitsu quietly said as he shook her shoulder gently with his hand, trying to shake her awake. "Please wake up. Tanjiro took off without us. We have to find him."

Nezuko opened her eyes with a dazed look, turning her head from one direction to another. She stopped once she realized her brother was no longer by her size. Zenitsu felt his lips curve into a frown as he headed over to the wooden box that laid on the ground next to where Tanjiro had sat and placed it over his back. Once he had made sure that the bowl of udon that Tanjiro had so carelessly dropped was paid for (much to the udon man's angry expression), Zenitsu gently grabbed Nezuko by the hand and began to lead her to where Tanjiro had run off to.

It didn't take too long for Zenitsu to pinpoint where Tanjiro was. Zenitsu knew the gentle sound Tanjiro made by heart now. But the closer Zenitsu guided Nezuko to Tanjiro's sound, the more uneasy he began to feel- like there was something else by Tanjiro that was dangerous. It wasn't until Zenitsu entered the street that was a corner away from where Tanjiro was that he heard something- a sound that immediately caused his body to fail him. Zenitsu widened his eyes in fear as he collapsed to the ground, breathless and body trembling. His body was trembling so much that he realized he couldn't even feel his legs. He barely felt Nezuko grab onto his arms and tug on him to get back up. No, all he could focus on was the sound that was right by Tanjiro's sound.

It was a sound filled with malice.

It was a sound that Zenitsu had never heard before. And he had heard his fair share of sounds that sometimes left him shaking and crying from fear, but this one was different in the fact that it belonged to…

"A demon…" Zenitsu breathed, his eyes wide with horror. He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself back up from the ground, but found it was useless. His body wouldn't respond as if it knew that the demon that was up ahead was a monster that Zenitsu should never face. He felt tears begin to form in the corner of the eyes as his ears began to listen closely to the sound the demon was making, realizing one crucial thing.

_It sounded just like the demon that had turned him into a demon. Different and yet, so similar. _

Zenitsu clutched his stomach at that realization as he doubled over, wheezing and gasping for air. He felt his throat tightened as his lungs no longer responded to him, becoming almost impossible to breathe. As his vision began to go hazy, Zenitsu found all he could really focus on was the malicious sound that echoed in his ears. He was terrified of it. He knew that the demon that made the sound was dangerous. And although Zenitsu was scared of that, he was more terrified of the demon finding him.

However, just as quickly as the sound was heard, it quickly began to fade, only to leave behind sounds of horror and fear that belonged to humans. Zenitsu gritted his teeth as the screams reached his ears as he heard a new demon awake, beginning its rampage. He heard the sound of Tanjiro mixed in with the sound of the newly transformed demon becoming clear that Tanjiro was trying to take down the demon.

Which was all the sound Zenitsu needed to hear to give him the strength to get back up and find Tanjiro.

When Zenitsu and Nezuko finally made it to the crowded street where Tanjiro was, Zenitsu found just what he had expected to see from what he heard- Tanjiro on top of a newly transformed demon. He moved to help Tanjiro when he heard two more sounds that made him freeze in place. Although they were not sinister sounds, they were still sounds that belonged to…

_Demons…_

Zenitsu widened his eyes and quickly began to look around, placing himself in front of Nezuko. It didn't take too long for him to find where the two demons were and he eyed at them with wary as he took in their appearance. The older demon was female and was quite beautiful in appearance, wearing a dark Japanese kimono with red flowers. Her eyes were serene, bluish lavender in color. Meanwhile, the male demon next to her appeared younger in appearance, with pale skin and bright lavender purple eyes. Zenitsu stared at the two demons, unsure what to do. While the sounds the two demons were making were nowhere near as malicious as the sounds demons usually made (especially the one that had just left), they were still demons. He was afraid of what they might do.

Zenitsu shook his head as he turned his attention back Tanjiro, who was still struggling to keep the demon down he was on top of. Near him was a woman grasping on her bleeding shoulder as some bystanders kneeled down to help her apply pressure to the wound. Zenitsu frowned as he decided he would worry about the demons later. He needed to help Tanjiro. However, just as he took a step forward, he was quickly pushed aside by a group of officers that stomped towards Tanjiro. They grabbed on to Tanjiro and relentlessly began to try to pull him away from the demon he was on top of. Of course, Tanjiro declined, with every pull, shouting out words that he couldn't get off of the person he was on, which soon made things escalated. Zenitsu, wide-eyed, watched as one of the officers raised his weapon to hit Tanjiro. He couldn't help but growl with narrowed eyes and prepared himself to launch forward to stop the officer when a woman's voice made him freeze in place.

"**BLOOD BEWITCHMENT: AROMA OF VISUAL FANTASY**."

Zenitsu took Nezuko's hand and pulled her closer as colorful patterns appeared, surrounding the crowd of people in the vicinity. He eyed the patterns with fear, hesitant to touch them, but as he listened to the people around him become lost in the patterns, the less fearful he became. The patterns themselves were not harmful. In fact, judging by how the people were reacting, the patterns hindered the vision of those affected, causing them to only see the colorful flower patterns. Zenitsu just hoped that whenever Tanjiro was in the sea of patterns, that he was safe. After all, he still had to take care of and protect his sister and him, of course.

A few agonizing seconds ticked by and finally, the patterns faded away, allowing Zenitisu to see where Tanjiro was. Without any hesitation, Zenitsu rushed forward with Nezuko in tow to the red-haired boy and grabbed on to his haori, his eyes glimmering with watery tears. He felt Tanjiro stiffened in surprise and confusion, most likely not realizing that he had left the two back at the udon stand.

Even so, that didn't excuse what he did and Zenitsu made sure to give Tanjiro an earful which the kind boy took in stride (much to Zenitsu's frustration).

Once Zenistu had calmed down, Tanjiro began to explain why he had left them so suddenly and what happened after. When Tanjiro explained that Kibutsuji Muzan had been there and the one that Tanjiro had left to find, Zenitsu felt the color drain from his face, realizing why his body had suddenly failed him. Even so, he kept that information to himself and allowed Tanjiro to continue, learning who had made the patterns that had hindered the crowd of people's vision. It was the demon art of the same female demon Zenitsu had spotted in the crowd of people.

Although it was hard to believe that the female demon was good, it was even harder to believe that she was a doctor. In fact, Zenitsu found himself scratching his head at that thought. What kind of demon would even decide to be a human doctor? Didn't all humans eat human flesh? Treating human wounds would be near impossible for a demon doctor since the smell of human flesh at that point would be so strong to ignore. So how was a demon doctor able to accomplish such a feat?

A few seconds later and Zenitsu quickly realized that he didn't think about himself and Nezuko, demons who also chose not to eat human flesh. It was funny really. Here he was, judging a demon he had never met when in fact, he was the same species as her. If anyone was to be judged, it should be definitely him. After all, he still couldn't hold his sword! Some demon slayer he was. However, if there was anything to be positive about, Zenitsu was glad that he was also bad at being a proper demon.

After Tanjiro finished explaining the situation, the three began to make their way to the meeting point where the male demon would meet them. It didn't take the three that much time to find the boy, who only glared at them with an irritated expression.

"Sorry that we are late," Tanjiro apologized with politeness in his voice.

"It doesn't matter." The boy muttered, still glaring. "Besides, aren't those two by you demons? They're an eyesore to boot."

_Eyesore?_

Zenitsu blinked as he processed the other demon's words. While he had been called many things in the past, an eyesore was by far not the worst. In fact, it was probably true that he was an eyesore. He couldn't do things properly and always experienced bad luck. There was also the fact that no one liked to be around him since he was a coward at heart. If he had to be honest with himself, being called an eyesore was probably the best thing anyone could call him, especially since he was a demon now. So there was no way that rude comment could affect him.

Until Zenitsu realized that the other demon had also called Nezuko an eyesore.

"Who in their right mind would call Nezuko [Nezuko-chan] an eyesore?!"

Both Tanjiro and Zenitsu shouted in defense of the poor silent girl.

"Just take a look at her features!" Tanjiro yelled as he directed his heads at Nezuko. "She was the beauty of our hometown!"

"That's right!" Zenitsu added with a raised fist. "Nezuko-chan is beautiful! She has a wonderful body and smells just like flowers! The way she moves is delicate and perfect! And the way she looks at you when you're feeling down! Ahh, there's no way someone like her could be an eyesore!"

The demon boy narrowed his eyes in irritation and simply turned, ordering the three to follow him, but that didn't stop Tanjiro and Zenitsu from making more comments about Nezuo's beauty for what the boy had casually called Nezuko without any remorse.

"Oh, I know what it is! It's the muzzle, right?" Tanjiro asked, still highly defensive of Nezuko's beauty just as the group stopped in front of a wall.

"Well then behold Nezuko-chan's beauty without the muzzle!" Zenitsu added.

The two turned to Nezuko and Tanjiro prepared to take off her muzzle when the two realized that the demon boy was no longer in front of them. In fact, it seemed like he had just vanished out of thin air. The two boys looked around confused when the demon boy's head poked out of the wall in front of them, ordering them to walk through before someone sees.

Slightly hesitant, Tanjiro still nodded at the boy's command and gently took Nezuko and Zenitsu's hands and walked forward with them. When the three pass through the wall, they found themselves staring in front of a large house with a white paper with a strange symbol on it nailed to the building.

"There's a house here?!" Zenitsu asked in shock, turning his head back and forth from the wall behind them to the large house.

The demon boy ignored Zenitsu's comment and walked forward to the house's door. He stopped and turned towards the three, narrowing his eyes even further.

"Listen. Make sure you don't offend her in any way."

His eyes directly fell onto Tanjiro with such intensity that it immediately made Zenitsu shiver and sent him cowering behind Tanjiro to hide.

"Personally," The demon boy said with a scowl. "I couldn't care less about what happens to you and your demon companions, but I've brought you here because she insisted. However, if you do offend her, I won't hesitate to kick you out."

The boy lifted his sight away from Tanjiro and turned his body away back to the door and opened it, directing the three to follow him. Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro looked back at him and gave him a comforting smile and gently took his and Nezuko's hand, guiding them forward. Zenitsu had no idea how Tanjiro could still look so calm. They were heading into a demon's house! Any sane human would never trust a demon.

Although, Tanjiro wasn't exactly normal. He was traveling with him and Nezuko after all.

The three followed the lavender eyed demon, following him into a room where the same human woman that had been injured by the transformed demon laid, being treated by the demon doctor. She looked up as the four entered the room and smiled, as she turned towards them from the chair she was seated on.

Zenitsu couldn't help but stare at the demon doctor as he listened to her sound now that they were much closer. It was nowhere near sinister and scary as a normal demon's sound, but there was something in it that made Zenitsu ponder about why it made him feel at ease. Only Tanjiro's sound gave him a sense of security, so it was baffling to hear a demon make a sound that made Zenitsu less scared and unsure of himself. If he had thought that they were in danger due to Tanjiro's trust, he didn't think so anymore. The demon in front of them was someone they could trust.

Zenitsu just hoped that the demon doctor could help them at least.

* * *

**OMAKE**

Zenitsu screamed in fright as the box that belonged to Tanjiro shook. It was an hour after the sun had set when Tanjiro's box had begun to shake, prompting the boy to set the box down and try to introduce Zenitsu to the demon that was inside the box. However, Zenitsu was absolutely petrified. Yes, he knew that a demon was in there already and that Tanjiro completely trusted it (not to mention the fact that he himself was a demon), but that still didn't stop him from cowering behind Tanjiro and trembling in absolute fear.

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro gently said, as he tried to comfort the other boy. "It's okay. Nezuko-"

"Noooo!" Zenitsu yelled, cutting Tanjiro off as he rapidly shook his head. "Even if I am a demon, I can't trust it! What if it decides to eat me as well?! I mean, I know I'm a demon too, but it could be possible! Protect me, Tanjiroooo! I'm not strong enough to protect myself! Don't let the demon eat me!"

Just as Zenitsu said those words, he heard the unmistakable creak of a door being opened. He yelped in fright, burying his face into Tanjiro's back as he heard the demon shuffled away from its confinement taking a step onto the dirt road they were on. He trembled as he heard the demon began to walk towards him and Tanjiro, but Zenitsu made no move to open his eyes and let go of Tanjiro. He didn't want to see the demon as it feasted upon him (even if it was impossible since he himself was a demon), but still, he was scared to see what a demon might do to a cowering idiot of a monster like him.

That was until Zenitsu felt something soft and warm press itself against its cheek. He felt his body freeze on contact, immediately no longer shaking in fright, and opened his eyes, turning to see what had touched him.

Finding a beautiful girl in a pink kimono with a star pattern and long black hair with orange on the bottom flowing behind her back. She stared at him with her bright pink eyes, gently patting Zenitsu's cheek to comfort him.

"Zenitsu," Zenitsu heard Tanjiro say near him as the yellow-haired boy continued to stare at the beautiful female demon. "This is my sister, Nezuko."

"Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu murmured with awe as the young female demon took her hand off his cheek and took a step back to next to her brother.

Zenitsu felt his lips curve into a smile as his cheeks heavily turned red. Never did he think that he would meet a girl that sounded just as lovely as Nezuko. Maybe it wasn't so bad then he thought that he had turned into a demon. He had something in common with Tanjiro's beautiful sister.

And that was how Zenistu found himself doing the rest of the night- gushing over Nezuko's beauty as Tanjiro politely tried to get him to stop.

* * *

**A/N: **So I have things I would like to explain. It's my personal headcanon that Zenitsu has seen a city before. Although he probably hasn't seen a city as large as Asakusa, I like to think that he has seen a city with enough to know what it's like, which explains why he was not as culturally shocked as Tanjiro was. Also, this chapter establishes when Tanjiro finds Zenitsu. There is a reason why I wanted Zenitsu to be there when Tanjiro meets Tamayo, which will be explained next chapter. Also, the circumstances of Zenitsu's transformation into a demon will be explained in time, but I wrote a small snippet to raise some questions. Don't worry, I won't leave you guys in the dark for too long (maybe).


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry that this chapter took so long, but midterms took much of my time. That and the fact that I had no idea how to go about this chapter, but it's okay. I actually stayed up really late last night to finish the last of this chapter. Why? Because I honestly did not feel like finishing the rest of my essay for one of my classes. Anyway, a huge thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read the last two chapters. I've honestly never felt so flattered before. Just knowing that there are people enjoying what I have written makes me incredibly happy. I mean it. Thank you so much!

**Mermaid's Magic: **Of course I enjoyed your idea. I can't wait to write it when we get to it because I can assure you, it will be fun to write. XD

**WeirdNewb98:** Aww thank you! I'm surprised that you think this is well written because trust me, my grammar skills are lacking. And yes, Zenitsu is my favorite character. It makes me happy writing a fic starring him in a different scenario.

**Guest: **Aww thank you! I'm flattered that you think this is a well-written fic.

**snflwrgrl: **Aww thank you and really? I'm open to ideas then. It would be really nice to hear ideas from anyone that has them.

** 21ant:** Thank you so much!**  
**

**Morskijez: **Thank you! I admit, it was really hard for me to get a grasp on each character, but once I did, it soon started to become natural. And yep, their interactions have been one of my favorite things to write. (Of course, Zenitsu has been adopted. He just doesn't know it yet). His reunion will Gramps will probably bring a few tears. And Zenitsu will pick up his sword much sooner than you think. As for your guesses- Shhh. I can't be spoiling things just yet. ;P

**Green-Sama: **Thank you! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Tamayo-san, is there a way to turn a demon back into a human?"

Zenitsu felt his body stiffened as Tanjiro's words echoed inside his head. How long had he dreamed of the possibility- that there was a way for him to turn him back into a human? Ever since his transformation into a demon, he had dreamed of feeling the sun's warmth again and no longer feeling the hunger for human flesh, but he always woke up to cruel reality. He had long disregarded the thought, but since finding him, Tanjiro made it seem like it could happen. A boy with such a gentle heart was fighting to turn his sister back to a human. And despite all odds, Nezuko kept a sense of her emotions. Zenitsu remembered a conversation Tanjiro had with him about this. Tanjiro reasoned that if Nezuko and Zenitsu were able to keep a sense of their human emotions, then it must mean that it wasn't impossible to turn them back into a human. Zenitsu wanted to believe Tanjiro. He truly wanted to believe him.

_But he couldn't._

And yet, here was a demon in front of them that was telling them that there was a way to turn them into a human.

Zenitsu didn't know if he wanted to actually believe her.

"For any kind of wound, there's always some kind of treatment or medicine. At this time, I'm unable to turn a demon back into a human." Tamayo explained with a solemn gaze. "However, I am dedicated to developing such a method of treatment."

Ah, there it was. The unmistakable truth that there was no cure. And to think that Zenitsu had actually hoped that there was one. He wanted to jump right up when Tanjiro did at the mere mention of it, but something in the back of his mind kept him sitting still. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't fully believe Tamayo. At least he didn't give all his hopes up for anything.

And yet, why did he suddenly feel a surge of joy when she did confirm the possibility of a cure?

Zenitsu had no idea why he continued to listen to Tamayo, but he did, learning more about Tamayo's desire to create such a cure. In order for this to happen, she needed to investigate Nezuko's blood (not that Zenitsu was surprised) and for Tanjiro to gather blood from demons with the highest traces of Kibutsuji's blood. And for a reason he didn't understand, Tamayo also wanted to investigate his blood.

"Ehh?!" Zenitsu asked, his eyes wide in confusion and shock when Tamayo told him this. "B-but I'm not like Nezuko-chan! Why do you want to study my blood?!"

"Zenitsu-san, while you may not be like Nezuko-san with her current condition, your condition is also unique. Normally, any newly transformed demon will go berserk within a few days without consuming the flesh or blood of a human. From my understanding, you never went berserk, even when Tanjiro-san found you. That is unquestionably worth investigating your blood."

'No, it's because I'm an idiot and no good at anything.'

Zenitsu wanted to say, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed silent and lowered his gaze to the ground, allowing his ears to pick up the distinct sound of Tamayo's breathing. She was not lying. She truly did think that his condition was unique like Nezuko's, but the truth was it wasn't. He was just too much of a coward to eat anything that was human, even when the idea always tempted him to try. If anything, Zenitsu was pretty sure that if Tanjiro hadn't found him, he would have really gone berserk. So he wasn't special like Nezuko or strong like Tanjiro believed him to be.

He was just a weak coward.

Tamayo must have seen that Zenitsu didn't want to speak any longer because he picked up the tune of her addressing Tanjiro once more. Zenitsu was okay with it though. He wanted the matter to drop. In fact, he just wanted to disappear. He didn't belong there in the room with Tanjiro, his sister and the kind demons. He was the only one who thought it was still was impossible for a demon to turn back to a human. That was all he could decide. However, if the possibility really did exist, like Tamayo was willing to achieve, then he wanted the cure to exist for Nezuko's sake. After all, he didn't matter in the slightest.

And yet, Tanjiro didn't seem to think that was the case.

"Tanjiro-san, are you still willing to go along with my requests?" Tamayo asked.

Zenitsu waited for Tanjiro to say no, but instead, he felt the red-haired boy take his hand as the same boy reached to take his sleeping younger sister's hand as well. Zenitsu stiffened in shock as Tanjiro smiled at him and Nezuko, his heartbeat beating with such a gentle melody. Zenitsu wanted Tanjiro to say no. He truly did, but he knew Tanjiro all too well by now. He was just too kind to make that kind of answer.

"If it means you'll create the medicine to turn a demon back to a human, I'll do it. If that happens, it won't just be Nezuko and Zenitsu that will be cured." The boy took his eyes off of Nezuko and Zenitsu and looked back up with Tamayo with a smile. "Lots of people will be saved, right?"

'Idiot'

Zenitsu wanted to say, but he simply smiled. Tanjiro was truly something else. He actually wanted to help other unfortunate people like him and Nezuko that had been transformed into demons. What kind of person would want to do that? Didn't he know how many demons there were? Would such medicine be able to cure so many demons? On the other note, were there demons that even deserved this?

_Like him?_

As Zenitsu pondered over this, almost close to tears with how lovely Tanjiro's sound was beating, he suddenly picked up a new sound with his ears- a sound that belonged to a Temari. It made a jingle each time it bounced off a surface, but each jingle made Zenitsu suddenly shiver in fear. A Temari usually made a gentle sound, but this one sounded scary. And it was getting closer!

"Tanjiro!" Zenitsu shouted, no longer being able to hide his fear. He launched towards the surprised red-haired boy, but it was too late. A Temari ball crashed through the wall behind them, with a second ball rushing in soon after. The two balls destroyed everything in their path around them, leaving behind a crumbling room enveloped in a cloud of dust.

"Ahahahaha!" A female voice echoed with glee from beyond the cloud of dust that was between the crumbling wall and outdoors. "It's just like you said, Yahaba! A building just appeared out of nowhere when there was nothing there before."

"Of course I am right." A second voice remarked, this time male. "This must be the handiwork of a Blood Demon Arts wielder adept at hiding objects. Although I can't fathom why there are four demons inside that building with the demon hunter. It seems like even one of them was even trying to save the hunter."

The male paused and Zenitsu picked up the slightest hint of annoyance from the demon with his ears as the demon turned to his female companion. "Besides that Susamaru, I have something I would like to say. Your way of doing things is immature and careless! You splattered my kimono with dust, tch."

"Oh, stop whining!" Susamaru said gleefully as she bounced her Temari. "We found them right away thanks to my Temari. After we get the head of the demon hunter wearing hanafuda earrings, you can get yourself a new kimono. For now, let's have fun!"

Zenitsu flinched as he clung on to Tanjiro's haori even tighter. They were after Tanjiro. He clearly heard their objective. And from what he heard from these demons, they were scary! They were not like regular demons. They sounded much worse. How were they were supposed to get out of this alive?

Zenitsu had no time to think as the female demon threw her Temari once more, once again destroying everything it touched in the room. Zenitsu felt Tanjiro hold onto Nezuko even tighter in his arms, trying to protect the younger demon from getting hit from the balls. And Zenitsu did the same, clinging onto the red-haired boy's arm even more while squeezing his eyes shut in absolute terror. All he could do was listen, wishing at the same time that he wasn't born with his abnormal good hearing. Because the more he listened, the more fearful he became of one of the balls hitting someone in the room.

And much to Zenitsu's fear, that was indeed what happened.

_CRUSH!_

Zenitsu choked back a gasp as his ears picked up the sickening sound of a Temari hitting Yushiro, who had leaped up to protect Tamayo from the ball. The ball took his head off, crushing it in the process with no remorse, leaving his beheaded body behind to fall to the ground lifelessly.

"Yushiro-san!" Tanjiro screamed as Tamayo moved forward to cradle the body in her arms.

Zenitsu stiffened as Tanjiro moved away from him and Nezuko, unsheathing his sword. He allowed himself to open his eyes, watching as Tanjiro turned towards Nezuko and addressed her to take the sleeping woman in the backroom somewhere safe. Nezuko nodded without any complaint and left in a hurry, never taking the second to look back. Zenitsu stared at her retreating form with wide eyes. How could she leave like that? Zenitsu could barely move as it was. His entire body was shaking.

"Zenitsu."

Zenitsu flinched as he turned back to Tanjiro. He widened his eyes when he saw that Tanjiro was holding out something to him- the thing he was still afraid to hold, let alone use.

It was his sword.

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro calmly said, as he eyed the shaking yellow-haired boy. "I know I shouldn't push you to do this, but I need you to protect Tamayo-san and Yushiro-san. And it will make me feel better knowing you have your sword to protect yourself and them."

"But…"

"Please," Tanjiro said softly.

Zenitsu frowned, knowing he could not change Tanjiro's decision, especially when the beating of his heart was filling his ears with his soft melody. Deep down, Zenitsu understood that Tanjiro just wanted to have something that could protect him and the other demons. But Tanjiro promised that he would protect him! What kind of protector was he if he couldn't protect him without Zenitsu having to use his own sword? Zenitsu huffed at this thought as he made his decision and slowly reached out to his sword. Carefully, he took it from Tanjiro's hand as he held it with his hands. It felt surreal. His body knew the weight of it, but his mind still didn't want to grasp the idea that this was his sword he was holding. He hadn't held it since throwing it away after he had been turned into a monster. How could he fight if he was still afraid to use it?

"Zenitsu, watch out!"

Zenitsu looked up just as Tanjiro roughly pushed him out of the way before one of the Temari balls could hit him. Zenitsu clenched his teeth as he felt his bottom landed hard on the floor, but Zenitsu barely had any time to recompose himself, because he heard another ball coming straight for him. With strength he didn't know he had, he scrambled out of the way of the incoming ball and moved towards Tamayo and Yushiro's body. Not sparing a second to look at the two, Zenitsu turned towards Tanjiro, who had once again readied himself for battle. Zenitsu eyed the boy with fear, teeth chattering as his body shook. How could Tanjiro look so calm and composed, ready to fight the demons when he saw what had happened to Yushiro? Zenitsu could barely stand as it was. The fear had already reached his shaking knees.

"Hmm? The demon hunter wearing hanafuda-like earrings.. That is you, right? He wants to see you. Oh, but not alive of course. It's just your head I will bring."

And before anyone could react, the female demon threw her Temari ball straight at Tanjiro. Tanjiro reacted, thankfully, and was able to use his sword and one of the breathing techniques he knew to stab the ball, but that didn't stop the ball completely. In fact, it stirred and began to move a mere seconds after its abrupt stop, hitting Tanjiro harshly on the head before releasing itself from his sword.

Tanjiro seemed confused at the ball's movement while wincing in pain from the hit he took to the head, which Zenitsu winced to as well. He stared at Tanjiro with worry, wondering why Tanjiro had reacted so slowly to the Temari ball's movement. Didn't he see the red arrow that had caused it to suddenly move? It had been right there in front of him.

Unless…

"He can't see it." Zenitsu realized. However, before he could act, he heard the unmistakable sound of Yushiro calling out to Tamayo from behind him. Zenitsu felt his shoulders tensed and he turned, almost falling over in fear and shock at what he saw. Yushiro was growing his head back, but in a process that involved everything being formed again- including his muscles, nerves, bones, and skin. Zenitsu stared at the half-forming head horrified, trying to stop himself from reeling over to vomit. He had thought the sound of Yushiro's head being crushed was sickening, but this was a whole level of terror he had never experienced. It was making him on the verge of shutting his eyes and curling up into a ball to forget that he was even there because this was was a nightmare he wanted to desperately wake up from.

"Tamayo-sama!" Yushiro shouted in pure rage. "Didn't I tell you! We shouldn't have gotten involved with the demon hunter! My Blindfold technique is still a work in progress! I may be able to conceal the presence of buildings and people, but the more people there are, the more traces we leave, which Kibutsuji will be able to pick up on!"

Yushiro growled as his newly formed eyes narrowed fiercely, making Zenitsu immediately jump back in fright. "Anyone who ruins the time I get to spend with you… I despise them! I will never forgive them! They are unforgivable!"

Zenitsu felt his stomach tinged with guilt at Yushiro's angry proclamation, as his whole body trembled. It was their fault that Kibutsuji's minions had found them. What was he supposed to say to that? It was right for Yushiro to get angry. But...

That didn't change the fact that he really did scare him.

"Ahahaha! How funny! He's babbling now! What fun this is! **What fun this is**!" Susamaru chortled with a wide crazed smile. She paused and undressed the first half of her body, revealing her chest that was bound by a black cloth. "You should be honored! You get to be killed by me, one of the Twelve Demon Moons!"

_Twelve Demon Moons?_

Zenitsu blinked, confused, wondering why the term felt so familiar to him. He had heard the words before but from where? And why did his body suddenly go cold at the mere mention of it? Zenitsu desperately wanted to understand what the words meant to him.

And thanks to Tamayo, he did.

"They're Kibutsuji's personal servants, serving directly under him! Tamayo shouted, eyeing Tanjiro, who had looked back at her and Zenitsu.

_Which means their blood will help create the medicine for Nezuko-chan…_

Zenitsu realized as he felt his hand grasped tighter on his unsheathed sword. He barely caught Tanjiro eyeing him with a calm expression before turning back once more to face the female demon, who had grown extra four arms and once again began her rampage with her Temari balls. Each ball that Tanjiro failed to hit set its sight on Zenitsu and the other demons, While Zenitsu was able to dodge the balls rather clumsily, Tamayo and Yashiro were not so lucky. They both had chunks of their bodies crushed from the balls. Still, that didn't stop Zenitsu from trying to help them. And yet the more Zenitsu began to recognize the balls' patterns, the more his focus began to become directed to Tanjiro. It was painstakingly obvious. Tanjiro couldn't see that the red arrow patterns were pointing were for the balls to hit, which explained for his poor reaction time to each ball he sliced with his sword. Zenitsu was worried that the exhaustion would eventually catch up to Tanjiro, causing him to lose a limb or even worse- his head to the Temari balls.

"Stupid demon hunter! Just look at the arrow patterns! You can evade the balls if you will know which direction they will travel to!" Yushiro shouted with a scowl.

"H-He can't see them," Zenitsu answered shakily looking on as Tanjiro dodged another Temari ball, but not so quick enough, causing him to get hit by the ball. He clenched his teeth and looked towards Yushiro with wide eyes. "Tanjiro can't see the arrow patterns!"

Yushiro tsked, but Zenitsu could have sworn he saw a look of surprise on the other demon's face. Before Zenitsu could further comment though, Yushiro moved his hand to his kimono, taking out a piece of paper. He placed his hand over his eye with the paper in his hand and called out to Tanjiro as his eyes and the paper in his hand began to glow bright blue.

"Hey, stupid demon hunter! I'm going to lend you my sight! Use it to see those arrow patterns! That should at least enable you to behead that Temari demon!"

Yushiro's eye and paper dimmed and before Tanjiro could ask what Yushiro meant, the green-haired demon threw the paper to Tanjiro that embedded itself right onto the middle of his forehead with a tiny needle. Zenitsu looked on as Tanjiro widened his eyes as if they had finally been opened, following the arrow patterns with his sight. He could finally see them, which meant it would be easier and far less painful for Tanjiro to take the balls on. It was something that Zenitsu gave a sigh of relief to.

And true to Zenitsu's hope, Tanjiro reacted instantly to the Temari balls that were headed towards them. At a speed that Zenitsu had no idea Tanjiro could accomplish, he dodged each ball quickly, but fluently, while still taking the time to think Yushiro for his help. As Tanjiro moved back, Zenitsu caught his eyes look towards him. Zenitsu felt his body trembled knowing what Tanjiro's eyes were conveying. He was preparing to take the fight outdoors, which Zenitsu didn't mind at all given how injured the other demons were, but that meant Tanjiro would be in even more trouble if he made a mistake. He'll be right there in the open for the evil demons to see.

"Zenitsu!" Tanjiro called out as his hand gripped tighter onto his black sword. "Stay here with Tamayo-san and Yushiro-san!"

"And Nezuko," Tanjiro said as he turned towards the younger demon that had just entered the room. "Take care of the demon up in the tree outside!"

And with those words, the two rushed out of the damaged room without sparing a look back. Zenitsu watched them go, paralyzed to his feet, not barely able to comprehend the fact that two didn't look the least frightened that they had run into the battlefield. No, in fact, the two were more ready than anything. Nezuko, Tanjiro's precious demon sister, had knowingly nodded at her brother's command without any complaint, while Tanjiro, of course, kept a steady grip on his sword, calm and composed as always as he charged forward. Zenitsu could not understand how the two were able to do it, while he was too paralyzed to move, barely able to keep a grip on his unsheathed sword. Yes, it was pathetic. He was a demon slayer like Tanjiro. He was supposed to be out there with him fighting.

And yet, here he was being a coward again.

_Some demon slayer he was._

Zenitsu flinched as the sound of the Temari balls hit the building once more, destroying parts of the wooden structure with a deafening sound. However, the pleasant sound of Tanjiro performing another breath of the water instantly sent a wave of relief to Zenitsu's body, giving him the strength to look back up from the ground and follow Tamayo and Yushiro to outside. He caught the sight of Tanjiro landing to the ground behind Susamaru, who no longer had her hands. He widened his eyes at the sight of the demon. For someone who just had her hands sliced off, she was not in pain. In fact, she only had a crazed smile still on her face as her hands quickly regenerated. How could she still smile like that?

Zenitsu stared at the crazed demon, more fearful than ever, but the sound of Tanjiro's voice declaring he would extract the blood from Kibutsuji's minions shook him out of his thoughts. He turned his sight to Tanjiro just as Nezuko crashed into him. He felt his body flinch at the sound, but also instinctively took a step forward, not realizing that he did at the same time. He listened to the sound of Tanjiro and Nezuko's hearts as Tanjiro helped his sister up. Something about seeing the pair in immediate danger irked Zenitsu and he didn't have the faintest idea why. But when the other demon beside him, Yushiro, called out for Tanjiro to take care of the demon with the arrow patterns first while they took care of the female demon with the Temari balls, something inside Zenitsu threatened to burst.

He didn't know what it was, but Zenitsu was afraid to find out.

With new targets in mind, the sibling pair launched forward. Zenitsu felt his body freeze upon the sight of Nezuko charging towards Susamaru with a sharpened gaze with no fear in her eyes. She easily dodged the ball Susamaru threw at her with no problem, but the warning from Tamayo was not enough to stop Nezuko from trying to kick the back at the second ball the Temari wielding demon threw at her. No, it was far too late to deter Nezuko from her target.

_CRUSH!_

And just like that, Nezuko fell forward as blood spurted from her injured leg that was now missing the lower half below her knee. Zenitsu had no idea how he should have reacted upon this. He barely caught himself from stumbling back as Susamaru kicked Nezuko with enough force to send the younger demon soaring back and slamming onto the damaged wall behind him with an impact that resounded in Zenitsu ears with pain. He stared at the injured girl, breathless and terrified as tears in his eyes began to form. It was painful seeing Nezuko so hurt. And the sound of Tanjiro's bones being broken nearby was not helping. He wanted it to stop. No, he needed it to stop. It terrified him seeing the two getting injured. They were the ones that had taken him in despite being a monster. How could anyone stand seeing the one they have grown to care for getting hurt?

Zenitsu had no idea why he didn't see it coming. He had been too absorbed in the sight of the injured Nezuko to see it. Perhaps it was karma for being a coward or maybe it was because he really was useless at everything. But even so, he never had the time to step out of the way. His ears were far too late to pick up the familiar jingle of a Temari ball as it was thrown, but not just at anyone-

It was him.

_**CRUSH!**_

The pain was Zenitsu's first immediate thought. The second thought that Zenitsu had was that it was far too dimmed now as if he had closed his right eye, but when he tried to open it, nothing changed. Slowly, Zenitsu placed his hand over where his right eye was, but he did not feel it. Instead, he felt something strangely warm and liquid. Confused, Zenitsu lowered his hand to see what it was.

On his hand, he found a dark red liquid.

But it was not just any liquid…

It was his blood.

And that was when everything went completely dark for Zenitsu.

* * *

**_Protect them! Protect them_!**

That was all Nezuko's mind screamed at her when she saw the injured good demons stepped out of the ruined house with the yellow-haired one behind them. And true to the red-haired boy's word, she attempted to put a stop to the evil female demon's fun. But she had been easily stopped and kicked aside. If only she could get back up. She needed to protect the good demons. They reminded her of people that she could not remember the names of, but caused her chest to tighten with emotions she could not describe. Her instinct was telling her to protect them and their bubble of happiness. She could not ignore them.

And yet, she was powerless to stop the ball that had so effortlessly crushed the side of the yellow-haired boy's head. She stared, wide-eyed, with the other two good demons, as the yellow-haired boy confusedly placed his hand over where his eye would be, shaking as he pressed down onto the gaping hole of flesh. And when he looked down at the bloody hand, his body completely went rigid. The only thing that moved was his remaining eye as it widened with shock. And before Nezuko could do anything, the yellow-haired boy shut his left eye and fainted, falling to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ahahaha! What kind of demon is that?!" The evil female demon chortled with glee as she continued to bounce her Temari balls. "He passed out from seeing his own blood! What fun! **What fun!** I can't wait to break him even more!"

Something inside Nezuko snapped from that comment. She felt her body tensed without her will as she released a low growl, setting her narrowed eyes on the passed out yellow-haired boy. She vaguely heard the good demon doctor talk to her and felt the injection of a needle pierce her skin as the demon doctor gave her medicine to help heal her lower leg. No, she only continued to stare at the yellow-haired boy as her whole body trembled.

_They hurt him! They hurt him! **THEY HURT HIM!**_

She wanted to make the female Temari wielding demon pay.

And yet, just as quickly as that thought made its way to her head, Nezuko instantly froze upon the sight of yellow-haired boy's hand as it twitched. It was very subtle, but it didn't go unseen by Nezuko. She watched as the boy slowly picked himself up from the ground, his hand over his sword that he held by his side. Only, there was something different. His remaining eye was shut and he was breathing in a concentrated pattern with gritted teeth. The yellow-haired boy was clearly asleep, and yet he was standing in a position ready to attack.

"Oh, what's this? How strange, but fun! I've never seen a demon like you!" The female Temari demon said with childish glee as she just had found a new toy. She bounced her balls as her smile grew wider. "Let's see if I can separate that head of yours from your body!"

And before Nezuko could react, the demon threw her Temari balls at the yellow-haired boy, who only breathed as he slept on. Nezuko felt her body inched forward, ready to kick the balls away from the boy to protect him from getting hurt again, but something unexpected happened. The yellow-haired boy effortlessly dodged each ball, while still snoring away. The Temari wielding demon widened her eyes as she eyed the boy in shock as the other good demons beside Nezuko did the same. They all stared at him as he slept on, while still posed to attack.

That was when the yellow-haired boy finally spoke.

"Thunder Breathing First Form, Thunderclap and Flash."

And just like lightning, the yellow-haired boy launched forward with a clap of thunder, much too fast for any of them to follow, but Nezuko saw. She saw the way he unsheathed his sword and moved so effortlessly as his sword met its target. At that moment, the boy had looked like a bolt of lightning. And yet, his sword did not slice its target's neck all the way. The sleeping boy did not fully follow through in his strike as if something had held him back. But it was enough for Nezuko to make her move.

As the sleeping boy fell forward to the ground once more after severely injuring the shocked Temari wielding demon, Nezuko grabbed one of the Temari balls that laid near her and with the loudest roar she could make, she kicked it with all the force she could muster in her leg. The evil demon gaped as the ball headed shot straight towards her, crushing the side of her head in the process as it embedded itself in the wall behind her. The evil demon stood silent, shocked even as she simply gaped at Nezuko. As her skull began to heal herself, the female demon finally reacted and laughed with amusement, raising her hands and making more balls appear in the palms of them. But that didn't deter Nezuko the slightest.

The only thing she had her attention on was the unconscious boy behind the female Temari demon. She was going to protect him. She was not going to let that demon hurt him.

**_NOT ANYMORE._**

Suddenly, the demon doctor beside Nezuko stepped forward.

And with a few words exchanged, the Temari wielding demon met her demise by the hands of her lord.

But that did not matter to Nezuko. Not in the slightest. Instead, she sleepily moved forward to the unconscious yellow-haired boy and kneeled down next to him, gently patting the side of his head that wasn't injured.

She didn't know what to describe the emotion that was tightening her chest that was keeping her barely awake, but she did know one thing-

She was happy that the sleeping boy was alive.

* * *

**A/N: **The next update will be in about 2-3 weeks. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **This took longer than I thought to write. I honestly tried to stick to a schedule, but college decided to take much more of my time than I expected. That and I started writing another AU that will hopefully be posted later this month. If not, definitely by next month. Anyhow, I will try to update faster next time, but I can't make any promises. The end of the semester usually means a lot more projects and papers to finish. As always, a huge thank you to all my readers. I don't know how I would have found the motivation to finish this chapter if it had not been for everyone's favorites, follows, and comments.

**shahmeeralikhokhar**: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Qween of Troll: **Aww thank you!

**Morskijez: **Oh yes, his self-esteem really has been hurt, but having Tanjiro and Nezuko by his side earlier than in canon has really helped him, especially concerning everything that has happened to him. And thank you! Fight scenes are always hard for me to write. And Nezuko's pov was fun to write. I was really excited to explore her thoughts and feelings of Zenitsu.

**hpnarutadsjedipirate1234: **Thank you and I'm sure everyone is wondering about that. It's a scene I'm looking forward to writing.

**Coco:** Aww thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Soomin41: **Aww thank you! Actually, another reason why Zenitsu did not do the finishing blow was that his body was completely exhausted. It took all of his energy to even try to perform Thunderclap and Flash. Factoring that with his current low self-esteem, Zenitsu just wasn't in the right mindset to be the strong swordsman he usually dreams he could be.

**Avertus: **Your questions will be answered in this chapter and so do I. It will take a lot of convincing on Tanjiro's part to defend not only Nezuko but Zenitsu as well from the Pillars. And maybe? But between himself and Nezuko, Zenitsu will definitely beg for mercy for her.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_"Zenitsu! Get over here!"_

_"No! There's no way I want to touch it! Once I do, it means I have to leave, right? I don't want to leave Gramps stuck with that sword! How will I find a girl to marry me if they see me carrying that sword with me all the time?!"_

_Zenitsu watched as his grandfather narrowed his eyes and turned towards the confused swordsmith sitting in front of him to apologize. The three were currently sitting in one of Gramp's formal rooms in his house. Although, Zenitsu had jumped and scrambled to the corner of the room at the mere mention of his sword. It was a week after passing the Final Selection and the old swordsmith had come to deliver Zenitsu's sword to him. He was a short man in stature with gray hair fastened in a bun and wore a Hyottoko mask over his face. Upon meeting him, Zenitsu had screamed in fright over his appearance, even calling him a monster to his face. Gramps had immediately slapped Zenitsu on the head for his action and quickly apologized to the swordsmith who happened to be an old friend of his. Of course, the swordsmith readily accepted the apology, but Zenitsu knew he had made a bad first impression. If the old man did not have any ill thoughts about Zenitsu, there was no doubt in Zenitsu's mind he did now._

_Even so, the man was still respectful while talking to Gramps and him. Once he truly listened to the man's heartbeat, Zentusu could tell he was overly excited to hand over his sword to him. It meant that giving a sword- no his craftwork to demon slayers was everything to him. But there was no way Zenitsu wanted to touch that sword, even if it would make the swordsmith unbelievably happy and please Gramps. Taking the sword meant he would have to start his demon slayer assignments and leave the comfort and safety of Gramps estate._

_"Gah, just get over here boy!"_

_And before Zentusu could even rebut to Gramp's order, Gramps moved over towards him and whack him hard on the head with his wooden cane. Zenitsu howled in pain as he rubbed his aching head for a second time that day, but he had no time to run because his grandfather swiftly took him by the ear and pulled him over, as harsh and brutal as ever._

_"Oww! Gramps! Are you trying to kill me?! My ear is ringing! It's RINGING! I'll go deaf in my ear if you keep pulling it! Have mercy on me, Gramps!"_

_Zenitsu watched as his Gramps simply rolled his eyes and hauled Zenitsu over to the small table where the blacksmith was still sitting at. Zenitsu barely caught himself from hitting the table and with tears in his eyes, he looked back up at Gramps to beg some more, but one look from Gramps's sharp eyes was all it took for him to keep his mouth shut. There was no way he was going to get out of this._

_"Ah, well then, if we can proceed…" the blacksmith said, after seeing Zenitsu finally accepting his fate._

_The swordsmith reached over to the black bundle by his feet and unwrapped it, pulling out a sword secured in its scabbard._

_"Zenitsu, I have brought you your Nichirin blade. I rarely bring blades to new owners, but upon hearing from Jigoro about you in his letters, I insisted on forging this blade. This blade here will change color to match your inner self. Please take it."_

_And with gentleness for his beloved craft, the swordsmith carefully handed Zenitsu's blade over to him. Zenitsu quietly studied the blade in his hands, wide-eyed and slightly shaken. _Nichirin_ blades were swords that changed color based on the individual that wielded it, which meant the sword in his hands would surely change for him. Although he didn't like the idea of using this sword, Zenitsu was curious. He wanted to see what color would appear for him. Actually, Gramps's sword had been yellow now that he thought about it. Not a bright yellow, but dark enough that it resembled the color of lighting in a booming thunderstorm. Would it be the same for him?_

_With that thought in mind, Zenitsu took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword, taking in the sight of it as he held it out in the air. It was a beautiful sword, a blade that had obviously been made with all the love and dedication of a craftsman. And it didn't seem too heavy in Zenitsu's hand. All the swords Gramps had for him to use during training sessions and for the Final Selection had a certain weight to them that did not fit exactly right in Zenitsu's hand, but this one didn't. In fact, it was light in his hands. It felt like the sword was purely made for him and only him._

_That was when color began to appear on the blade._

_Tiny yellow cracks began to appear at the base of the hilt, quickly spreading towards the tip of the blade. Zenitsu almost threw his sword at the sight of the cracks, but he soon found himself mesmerized by them. It was breathtaking. The sword had been beautiful without the color, but with the yellow cracks, it now felt even more complete._

_This was his sword._

_Zenitsu heard a chuckle from his left and looked towards his grandfather, who had his lips curved upward with a pleased expression. Zenitsu felt his awe immediately washed away at the sound of his Gramps's delight vibrating against his ears. Gramps was obviously happy at the color of his sword._

_"Ahh, why I've never seen a sword change like that for a person before." The swordsmith suddenly piped up, leaning forward to inspect Zenitsu's sword. Even though he wore a mask, Zenitsu could tell that the swordsmith was excited and pleased. The sound that only belonged to him of clinking metal was clinking faster. The swordsmith was surely smiling underneath his mask._

_"Zenitsu, thank you for allowing me to witness such a blade. I have never seen a yellow blade quite like yours. In all of my years of creating blades for new owners, your blade alone has far exceeded my expectations."_

_The old man turned and nodded slightly at Gramps. "You were right for me to come, Jigoro. This young one will make a fine swordsman."_

_"Of course," Gramps finally spoke, with a slight chuckle. "This boy will past my expectations. He is a demon slayer now."_

_Zenitsu flinched at Gramps response and this time, he really did drop his sword, ignoring the swordsmith's yelp of surprise at the sudden carelessness of the sword. He didn't care anymore about the beauty of his sword. No, what his mind was thinking about was Gramp's words. He tried to deny it. Even after passing the Final Selection, he kept denying this fact. But now that he had his sword, there was no more ignoring it._

_He really was a demon slayer now._

_Zenitsu stayed silent after that. Even when he was reprimanded by the old swordsmith for dropping his sword so carelessly and chided by Gramps during dinner. He only stayed silent and listened to the world around him, thinking about anything that could convince his Gramps to let him stay._

_After a few days of endless sulking and spending time training (which never ends according to Gramps), Zenitsu's crow finally gave him his first assignment. He was to head to a nearby town and kill a demon that had been terrorizing the small village. With a heavy heart, Zenitsu changed into the Demon Slayer uniform that had been given to him along with the yellow haori he had received from Gramps as a gift. It wasn't until Zenitsu stood at the entrance of Gramps estate in front of the dirt paved road that led to the mountains that he felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks. He knew he was emotional, but this really sucked. It hurt that he had to leave. He continuously begged to Gramps to let him stay, but Gramps denied every complaint with no hesitance, but Zenitsu could hear the sorrow in his voice. Gramps was sad to see another of his children leave._

_"Zenitsu."_

_Zenitsu flinched and turned towards Gramps who stood behind him. The older man walked forward and enveloped Zenitsu into a tight hug. Zenitsu couldn't help but _sniffle_ and returned the gesture, bringing his ears closer to Gramp's chest. Even though his Gramps always trained him till he was dead tired and scolded him and whacked him with his cane whenever he tried to escape, it was still his Gramps. And he was going to miss the comfort of his sound. It offered love, protection and worry for him, things he never received from anyone as a child. Since taking him in, Gramps had cared for him and never abandoned him even once when all others did. Gramps sound was home for him and now he was going to leave it behind for who knows how long._

_"Gramps," Zenitsu muttered, barely able to keep his crying in control. "I want to stay you with you! What if I die on a mission? What if I'm eaten by a demon?! I'm not strong enough like you say! I'm incredibly weak and a mess! A demon will surely take advantage of my weakness and-"_

_"Zenitsu," Gramps interrupted, his voice thick with sorrow. "Write to me."_

_"_Ehh_?" Zenitsu questioned in confusion._

_Zenitsu felt Gramp's moved back as the older man dropped his wooden cane and placed his hands onto Zenitsy's shoulders. They were calloused, but they were so warm and kind. They were the hands of someone that had spent so long caring for him._

_"You heard me, _boy,_" Gramps said, gripping tighter onto Zenitsu's shoulders. "It's bad enough that Kaigaku doesn't do it. I don't need you doing the same."_

_"B-but what happens if I don't?"_

_"Then that will let me know that something has happened and I will look for you."_

_Zebitsu sniffled, quietly contemplating Gramps words and slowly nodded. "Okay, I'll write to you then, Gramps. After my first mission, I'll write you the longest letter! And I'll look for a girl to marry too in the meanwhile! That way, you can help plan my wedding and give us your blessing."_

_Gramps rolled his eyes, but Zenitsu caught the subtle glimpse of amusement. Zenitsu was definitely going to miss his Gramps. He was the only one who listened to his dreams of getting married to a strong and beautiful girl without reprimanding him for it._

_"Now git _going,_" Gramps said, pushing the boy forward._

_And feeling better than ever thanks to his Gramps, Zenitsu walked forward down the dirt path, ignoring the call of his crow to pick up his pace. Part of him wished he could turn around and beg Gramps to let him stay, but he knew his Gramps would swiftly kick him out without any regret. Still, it was okay. He was going to keep his promise to Gramps. By tomorrow's sunset, he'll have that letter sent to Gramps to read._

_After all, he promised._

* * *

Slowly, Zenitsy opened his eyes, finding himself staring at a dark brown wooden ceiling. He blinked, as the familiar feeling of watery tears pouring from his eyes flowed down his cheeks. He sniffled as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

Ah, I never wrote that letter to Gramps.

Zenitsu had promised and he broke it. He didn't do the one thing Gramps had asked him to do. Granted, his crow was dead and there was not another one around that would know where Gramps lived, but Zenitsu knew he should have tried harder. He should have despite his wallowing guilt of what he had become.

Gramps honestly didn't deserve a successor like him.

"Zenitsu!"

Zenitsu blinked, feeling something warm clasped onto his hand. They were rough and calloused, but so warm and comforting, just like the hands that belonged to his Gramps. As he allowed himself to listen to the world around him, Zenitsu realized who the calloused hands belonged to- a boy with a gentle sound of wind chimes.

"Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked, turning towards the boy, who worriedly stared down at him. At the sound of Zenitsu calling his name, Tanjiro's worried frown immediately curved upward. Tanjiro leaned forward, his eyes twinkling as he spoke once more.

"Zenitsu, are you okay? Tamayo-san said you would be fine, but I was so worried when I saw that you were hurt. I didn't know what to do."

Zenitsu blinked owlishly. He had been hurt? But everything seemed fine now. Maybe Tanjiro had been hallucinating. Surely, fighting demons would make anyone see things that were not there.

"Where am I?" Zenitsu decided to ask, pushing himself up from the bed he was lying in, despite Tanjiro's immediate protest. He really was fine. Maybe a bit dazed, but not as hurt as Tanjiro made it seem.

"In one of the spare rooms under Tamayo-san's basement," Tanjiro answered as he still tried to get Zenitsu to lay back. "Yushiro-san brought you here after the Temari demon was defeated. Tamayo-san treated you before I could see you. She's with Nezuko right now."

"Treated me? What for?" Zenitsu asked, his eyebrows curving upward questionably.

"Y-you don't remember?"

Zenitsu shook his head. Yeah, he remembered the demon attacking them after Tamayo's revelation of the possibility of a cure, but he couldn't remember anything past that. Did something happen to him?

As Zenitsu pondered over this, a knock from the door echoed throughout the room. Both boys looked up just as the door opened with Tamayo entering the room alone without Yushiro by her side. The demon doctor smiled upon setting her sights on the boys and walked forward to them.

"I'm glad to see you are awake, Zenitsu-san." Tamayo kindly said before switching her gaze to Tanjiro. "Tanjiro-san, can you help Yushiro? Your sister has been helpful, but I'm afraid it's getting to Yushiro. I'll look after Zenitsu-san for you."

Tanjiro seemed like he wanted to deny, but one glimpse at Zenitsu made him decide to accept. Zenitsu wondered if it was because Tanjiro finally caught on to the fact that he was fine and not injured.

"Of course! Thank you Tamayo-san."

And with a polite nod, Tanjiro left the room leaving Zenitsu and Tamayo alone. Zenitsu had noticed that as soon as Tanjiro had left, Tamayo's smile had shifted into a frown. Quietly, the demon doctor sat on the stool Tanjiro had been using and fixated her gaze onto Zenitsu, inspecting him.

"Zenitsu-san," Tamayo asked finally after a moment of silence. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, fine?" Zenitsu answered confused over Tamayo's question. Sure, he was a bit sore, but he was feeling okay. In fact, he had never felt so refreshed and energized than in a long time. And for once, he was not feeling the gnawing hunger that had long since plagued his stomach. Did something happen to him?

"I see…" Tamayo answered. She reached over and placed her hand on the side of Zenitsu's head and gently turned his head to the side as if she was inspecting it for an injury.

"It seems that you have healed fully now. I was worried after giving you the medicine I created how your body would react to it. You have gone a substantial amount of time without consuming human blood, but it seems that you are fine now."

"Wait, medicine?" Zenitsu asked as he felt Tamayo take her hand off of him. He turned and looked at her now more confused than ever. "What medicine? No wait- You gave me medicine?! Did something happen to me?!"

"Zenitsu-san," Tamayo said kindly. "You were hit by a Temari ball during the attack from Kibutsuji's followers. It crushed part of your head. You collapsed when you realized what had happened to you."

Zenitsu tried to trace his thoughts back to the event Tamayo described, but all he could remember was dark spots. There was the feeling of terror though. Even so, he knew Tamayo was not lying. If Zenitsu could not remember, then it must have been just too traumatizing for him to recall, which Zenitsu was fine with. He did not want to imagine that kind of scene.

Still, that begged the question: why did he have to take medicine from Tamayo?

"Why did you give me medicine?! It didn't do anything bad to me, right?! I mean I completely trust you and know you wouldn't try to poison me, but I hate medicine! I really hope it didn't do anything weird to me."

Beyond his stammering, Zenitus could see Tamayo faintly smiling. She placed her delicate hand onto Zenitsu's hand, which promptly made him shut up.

"Zenitsu-san," She said as her smile curved downward to a concerned frown. "You were not healing. By the time the fight was over, your wound was still severe. I think your body was not healing because you never consumed human blood even after your transformation into a demon. For us, human blood gives us nourishment to aid us when we are severely injured as well as sedate our hunger. I was worried that you wouldn't accept the medicine since it's created from a portion of human blood, but you were unconscious and would have lost even more blood if I had not intervened."

"Oh…" Zenitsu muttered, looking down at his trembling hands. So that's why he was feeling better than ever. He had been given human blood.

Part of Zenitsu was disgusted at that fact, but he wasn't mad at Tamayo for it. In fact, he was grateful for what she did to help him, but that couldn't stop the self-hatred he had for himself. He never wanted to consume anything remotely close to humans, even if it was mixed in with medicine. He wanted to be strong for Gramps and Tanjiro. Even though he was a demon, he wanted to prove that he still had his humanity still, but in the end, he was still a demon. Because of his mistake of getting injured in the battle, he had to be given blood.

In the end, he had failed.

But those thoughts were forgotten when he felt a warm hand take his own.

"Zenitsu-san," He heard Tamayo said as he sniffled (wait, he was crying?). "This doesn't change who you are. Even if you have to consume human blood, it will never change the thoughts of those that care about you."

Before Zenitsu could respond, Tamayo pointed to Zenitsu's chest.

"You may be a demon," Tamayo said kindly as her gentle voice caressed Zenitsu's ears. "but you are still just as human in here."

And the dam Zenitsu had held back in finally burst. He sobbed uncontrollably, burying his head to the blankets around his body as he heaved. The weight in his chest was just too much to hold back in, not with the wave of emotion ringing in his head. He didn't care that he was sobbing in front of Tamayo, who still held onto his hand. He didn't even care if Tanjiro could smell his never-ending sadness with his nose from somewhere inside the building. He just wanted to let it all out.

Finally, after an hour of what seemed like endless crying, Zenitsu blinked away the last of the briny tears from his eyes and wiped away the wet tracks on his face as well as the snot that streaked from his nostrils. For a man hunting demon, he was pretty pathetic in regarding how ugly he looked when he cried. Kaigaku used to make fun of him for that, but no matter how much of a mess he knew he looked, Tamayo made no comment about it and instead rubbed his back soothingly, providing him a sense of comfort. Her sound was also interesting to listen to. Unlike humans, demons had sounds that vibrated with a pitch that was not hard to shudder in discomfort in, but Tamayo's sound was tranquil despite carrying that pitch. Sure, there was boiling anger hidden in her sound, but it was never directed at him. There was only kindness and worry. Zenitsu wondered if Tamayo carried this sound because of her status as a doctor. Surely, a doctor would need to be kind towards their patients.

After several minutes of getting his bearings, Zenitsu allowed Tamayo to help him out of the bed and lead him to his companions. They found Tanjiro and Nezuko helping Yushiro pack various medicine equipment into small boxes. Zenitsu stared at the two, his lips slowly curving upwards into a contempt smile. He was happy to see the two were alright and well not gravely injured as he had been. Although, he could not help but want to march over to Tanjiro and force the boy to stop what he was doing and make him rest. Tanjiro's leg and ribs had some fractures. It was not difficult to figure that out from Tanjiro's labored breathing. It was even a miracle that Tanjiro was still up and helping Yushiro. Tanjiro was surely in excruciating pain.

"Zenitsu!"

Zenitsu barely had any time to brace himself for the impact of the hug that came from the red-haired boy that had immediately stopped what he was doing and leaped up to run towards the other. Before he could even blink, Zenitsu found Nezuko by his side as well, gently patting his head as she wrapped her arms around him and Tanjiro. Zenitsu desperately wanted the two to let him go so he could apologize to them, but he could hear it- their unconditional love. Zenitsu was at the mercy of their kindness and love for him.

"A-are you okay?" Zenitsu heard Tanjiro as the two siblings finally let go of him (although they still held onto his hands).

"I- I know I shouldn't pry, but I could smell your sadness." The red-haired boy said with nervousness in his voice. Did Tanjiro really think that Zenitsu would be mad that he could tell that he had been crying?

Although, thinking about it, Zenitsu was sure Tanjiro was just feeling guilty along with Nezuko that they were not there to comfort him when he broke down and needed them most.

"I'm fine," Zenitsu spoke with reassurance in his voice. "Tamayo-san helped me. I… I just needed to think some things over."

Tanjiro nodded, satisfied with his answer and with Nezuko, gently guided Zenitsu over to Yushiro. Yushiro seemed irritated more than ever with him (Zenitsu had the sinking suspension it was because Tamayo had told him to stay while she treated him), but Yushiro was still as polite as possible with him. Zenitsu ended up finding himself helping Tanjiro and the others finish the packing. With a quick explanation from Tamayo, Zenitsu found out that she and Yushiro could no longer stay anymore. Now that Muzan knew their location, it wouldn't be too long till he sent more demons after them. Tamayo was a wanted criminal and Yushiro would be killed for siding with her. The two had to leave and go into hiding or their lives would be in great danger.

Which is why Zenitsu did his best to help. Now that he had the energy, he found that he could easily complete the task without feeling like he could collapse from exhaustion at any second. He even tried to help Tanjiro do his part, secretly making sure the other was not straining himself. Tanjiro was the type of person to shoulder all the pain without letting anyone know how he truly felt. Zenitsu made sure to make a mental note to lecture Tanjiro about it later, but for now, he would help him. As his friend, it was not fair for Tanjiro to shoulder everything by himself.

After making sure everything was packed and put away for transport, Zenitsu and the others were ready to leave, but before they could Tamayo had some things to give to them or more specifically, to Zenitsu.

"A bird?" Zenitsu asked with confusion as he stood by Tanjiro's side. Nezuko had long since returned to her box and was soundly asleep. Zenitsu was positive that she had only kept herself awake for his and her brother's sake.

Tamayo nodded as Yushiro entered the room with a small birdcage in his hand. He opened it and took out a small sparrow, handing it to Tamayo.

"This is not just a sparrow Zenitsu-san. She is special. She was a gift given to me by a friend long ago. She is considered to be one of the Kasugai Crows you use. She'll help with communication between us as well as deliver vials of blood to you and back to me."

"Oh…" Zenitsu said slowly. He silently turned towards Tanjiro hoping that the other boy was not disgusted at this revelation, but he was relieved to find out that he was not. In fact, the red-haired boy seemed happy, as if he knew that Zenitsu had to take the blood for his own good. Zenitsu wondered if Tamayo had spoken to him before she treated him. It was nice to see that nothing had changed between them.

"Thank you," Zenitsu decided to say with a nod of gratitude as he looked back to Tamayo. Tamayo smiled in approval and gently coaxed the sparrow to go to Zenitsu. The sparrow almost looked annoyed that it was going to depart from Tamayo's side, but it still flew to Zenitsu's covered head at Tamayo's plea, landing firmly on top of it. It shifted from side to side before finding the spot it seemed to like. Zenitsu had a guess that was where the sparrow was going to enjoy staying on for the rest of the journey.

"Her name is Ukogi," Tamayo explained. "However, she doesn't mind if you call her something else."

Zenitsu nodded as a single name echoed in his head. He'll tell it to the sparrow later to see if she'll like it, but for now, he'll let her relax happily on his head. He was scared at the idea the sparrow would violently peck him if he said something wrong. That was what his old crow used to do.

After receiving a few vials of blood from Tamayo, Zenitsu and Tanjiro bid their goodbyes with the promise of staying in contact and left for the road again. Tanjiro's annoying crow met them at the edge of the city and gave them their next order with no explanation of what kind of demon they would be facing. No, all the crow did was screech the direction they had to travel to. Zenitsu was close to grabbing the annoying crow to make it shut up for both his and Tanjiro's ear's sake, but he knew the crow could easily dodge any attempt he made with ease. Even so, that didn't stop Zenitsu from eyeing the crow under his mask with irritation. Were all Kasugai Crows loud and annoying?

Still, despite the crow's screeching, Zenitsu had to admit it was peaceful, walking with Tanjiro and Nezuko again. Of course, it wouldn't last as soon as they made it their destination, but Zenitsu was contempt with it.

He just hoped that whatever demon they had to face for their next assignment was not as dangerous as the ones they had faced earlier.

He could only handle so much fear of dying in such a short time frame.

* * *

Omake

Tanjiro stared at the shut door in front of him, barely being able to keep his breathing under control. Despite the unbearable pain in both his leg and chest, he desperately wanted to be inside by Zenitsu's side. Seeing Zenitsu unconscious and severely injured made his heart tinged at the guilt of not being able to protect his friend. Tanjiro had promised to Zenitsu that he would protect him and yet he didn't. He was too late to protect his friend.

Before he could even crawl over to Zenitsu's side, Yushiro had promptly moved towards him and shoved a handkerchief to his face, ordering him to hold it and not breathe in Tamayo's scent. Her blood demon art technique was harmful to humans. Still, that didn't stop Tanjiro from trying to still move to Zenitsu. Seeing his worry, Tamayo reassured to Tanjiro that she would help Zenitsu as well as treat Nezuko, who had breathed in much of her scent. Tanjiro completely trusted Tamayo, which was why he did not argue and instead watched Yushiro carry Zenitsu inside with Tamayo supporting Nezuko. He stared at their retreating forms and turned back to what was left of the Temari demon with a sullen expression.

Even if she had hurt Zenitsu and many others before her, no one deserved the kind of death the Temari demon experienced at the hands of Kibutsuji. It was heartbreaking to hear her childish voice calling for her ball, knowing that she had been manipulated for Kibutsuji's own personal gains.

As the sun in the sky began to rise and burn the remaining flesh of the Temari demon, Tanjiro found himself shedding tears. He swore that he would hunt down Muzan for both Nezuko and Zenitsu's sake, but there was much more to hunt the demon for now. He would make Muzan pay for all the lives he treated as mere toys. No one deserved to be a victim of his manipulation.

After praying for the two demons he fought to find peace, Tanjiro made his way to the basement, finding Nezuko waiting for him. He was not surprised to find that Tamayo was still with Zenitsu in a separate room, but he was anxious to see the state of what Zenitsu was in. Demons healed any injury to their body, but Zenitsu's wound did not heal. In fact, Zenitsu had been bleeding extensively from his injury. Tanjiro was scared to think that Zenitsu's life was in danger because of this fact.

And now, here he was, waiting for Tamayo to give him any type of news regarding Zenitsu's condition. Yushiro begrudgingly watched him from the side of the room with his arms crossed as Nezuko worriedly fretted over him. While Tanjiro would have smiled at the scene, his mind was much too occupied with Zenitsu. It was agonizing to wait knowing there was nothing he could do to help his friend.

Finally, after what seemed like forever to Tanjiro, the door in front of him opened with a creak revealing Tamayo behind it. Tanjiro immediately wasted no time to ask about Zenitsu.

"Zenitsu-san will be fine," Tamayo answered kindly, taking a step forward to Tanjiro. "However, I am afraid of how he will react when he wakes up."

"What do you mean?" Tanjiro asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

Tamayo frowned and Tanjiro could have sworn he smelled guilt from her.

"I had to give him medicine and a small blood transfusion. His body was suffering from exhaustion. It was why his wound was not healing. He did not have the strength to support himself and heal his wound. It's a miracle that Zenitsu had not collapsed before receiving his injury. I'm afraid of what would have happened if he continued this."

Tanjiro only stayed silent, barely being able to comprehend Tamayo's words. Zenitsu had been suffering and yet, the yellow-haired boy had kept his suffering to himself. Tanjiro knew that something had been wrong with Zenitsu. He knew this for some time now. Zenitsu's movements were steadily becoming slow and sluggish, getting worse with every passing day. Tanjiro had once asked Zenitsu about his condition, but Zenitsu had immediately laughed his concern away, making the excuse that he was just not used to traveling such a long distance. But Tanjiro knew it was not the case. He could see that Zenitsu was tired whenever the other was not looking. Factoring with the fact that Zenitsu was still suffering from his hunger, it was a wonder how Zenitsu was still able to keep up with him. And Tanjiro had done nothing more to help Zenitsu.

"Can I see Zenitsu?" Tanjiro decided to ask. Behind him, Nezuko perked up at the mention of Zenitsu and walked forward, stopping at Tanjiro's side and taking his hand into hers. Tanjiro was sure that she was just as worried about Zenitsu as he was.

Tamayo nodded and moved to the side, allowing Tanjiro and Nezuko to enter the room. The two found Zenitsu sleeping soundly on a bed with no longer half of his face missing. Upon setting his sights on Zenitsu, Tanjiro felt his body immediately relaxed in relief. Zenitsu was okay and no longer in a state that made Tanjiro feel that he could lose him.

Zenitsu was safe.

And yet, why were there still feelings of guilt squeezing his chest?

Behind him, he could hear the footsteps of Tamayo and Yushiro enter the room. Tanjiro turned back to them just as Nezuko beside him rushed forward to Tamayo, enveloping her in a hug. Tamayo seemed surprised at the contact, while Yushiro near her growled in irritation, demanding for the pink-eyed demon to let Tanayo go, but Nezuko never did.

Tanjiro guessed it was because Nezuko saw them as her family, just as she saw Zenitsu. And Tanjiro was glad because Tamayo and Yushiro were wonderful people. Even though they were demons, they were just as much human inside to Tanjiro.

They were indeed people he could trust.

Which was he was hurt to know that they were going to leave and go into hiding.

"Tanjiro-san," Tanjiro heard Tamayo say as her eyes glistened with concern. "Would you like us to take Nezeko-san and Zenitsu-san in? I can't say for certain that we'll be able to keep them away from harm, but I believe it will be safer for them here. I also can't imagine how the Demon Slayer Corps will react once they know of their condition, especially Zenitsu-san since he's a demon slayer."

Tanjirou glanced down at the floor, his eyes narrowing in thought. Tamayo was right. Nezuko and Zenitsu would be safer with her. Of course, he would worry about them, but they would be safe. And there was the fact Tanjiro had no idea how the Demon Slayer Corps would do once they learned about Nezuko and Zenitsu. Tanjiro wanted to believe that they accept them as they are, but there was the gnawing fear in the back of his head that they would kill them without question. It was a miracle that nothing had happened yet. Especially concerning the fact Tanjiro's crow could have long since reported back of their existence.

If they stayed here, Tanjiro wouldn't have to worry about what the Demon Slayers Corps could do to them.

As Tanjiro realized this, he felt a gentle hand take his own, finding Nezuko staring up at him with her eyes. Even though she couldn't speak, Tanjiro knew what her eyes were conveying. And if Zenitsu was awake and heard Tamayo's suggestion, Tanjiro was positive the boy would have openly denied it and clung onto Tanjirou. How could he think of leaving them? No matter what they would face in the future, Tanjiro wanted them to be together.

"Tamayo-san, thank you for your offer," Tanjiro decided to say as he looked back up at Tamayo. "but I will stay with Nezuko and Zenitsu. We will continue this path of ours together. We will not be parted, even if there will be those that are against it in the future."

Tanjiro watched as Tamayo smiled serenely at his answer. He couldn't help but smile as well when Yushiro commented that Nezuko was indeed a beauty and that Zenitsu wasn't so useless after all. Tanjiro was only grateful to the two. He had their complete trust. He would never forget the kindness they offered to him.

As Tamayo led Tanjiro away to treat his injuries, Tanjiro allowed his sight to fall on to the unconscious yellow-haired boy. He would be by Zenitsu's side as soon as he woke up.

He didn't want Zenitsu to wake up alone.

* * *

**A/N: **After posting the first chapter, I realized I completely forgot about Chuntaro (Ukogi). Surely, Zenitsu's loyal sparrow would have been with him after his transformation to a demon. So I did some thinking and decided for the sake of this story, Zenitsu had a crow that passed away during his first mission. Chuntaro would be Tamayo's sparrow instead and was a gift given to her from someone she knew (anyone wants to take a guess). Chuntaro will have the role of acting as a messenger and deliverer since Zenitsu still needs to consume blood. I think there were those that questioned if Zenitsu would be like Nezuko and my answer to that is no. Nezuko is who she is because of her special ability, but that doesn't mean Zenitsu isn't important. He is also proof that demons can retain their human emotions.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'm so sorry that this chapter is late. I would have updated sooner, but I was so busy with finals and last semester projects that I never found the time to finish writing this chapter. And then I had my wisdom teeth taken out two days ago. To be honest, I finished the chapter in between my naps from all the medication I am taking. I tried to edit it the best I could, but I'm just really tired. Anyhow, now that I am on winter break, I have plans to update two more chapters (not including this one). I want to write as much as I can before I go back to school (of course after I recover from my recent surgery). A huge thank you to everyone that has been patient with me! I can't tell you how thankful I am. Oh yes, before I forget, I am currently working on demon Zenitsu art for this fic. When I am finished, I will post it on my tumblr. My tumblr profile name is on my profile if anyone is interested. Okay, I think that's all. My medication is making me drowsy. Happy holidays everyone!

**Echonic:** Aww thank you. Sorry, it's only going to get more emotional from here. And no worries, there won't be any yaoi (it feels weird calling it that), but there might be romance. Ahh, but not in the way you might think. Just a pinch of romance that has has been already established between characters in canon.

**Roman1987: **Thank you so much! Those arcs will be difficult to write, but hopefully fun. Although I won't be spoiling anything that I have planned so far, I will say that things will be changed. Zenitsu definitely will have his hands full in the Mountain Arc.

**WeirdNewb98:** I'm sorry. It just feels like if I made Zenitsu the same as Nezuko, I would be taking away a huge aspect of her character. And aww thank you!

**shahmeeralikhokhar: **Thank you!

**Morskijez:** Thank you so much! Zenitsu's flashback with his Gramps was planned from the moment I decided to continue writing back in the first chapter. It alludes that Gramps knows that something is wrong. Now as far as the question if is he looking for Zenitsu currently? Well, that will be answered later on. And yep, I wanted to establish the kind of relationship Zenitsu has with his swordsmith. Great job on your guess with the food plan. Tamayo helping Zenitsu was always planned. And there are going to be even more moments of this trio's friendship. With Inosuke joining in, it's bound to become even more heartwarming. And yes, Zenitsu actually needs less blood than Yushiro. He only needed more this time because he was starving himself literally to death. And the two are similar in that way, aren't they? Their stubbornness might actually make a certain boar head become annoyed with them in the future. And yes, Tanjiro will absolutely be making sure Zenitsu eats his blood. Although I won't be spoiling anything yet, I will say I want to change some events in the Nagatumo Arc. As for the Pillar arc? I can see that happening just as well. XD

**Qween of Troll: **Thank you for your patience! I appreciate it!

**Dragon Courage: **Thank you!

**Zenistu: **Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Zenitsu didn't like the dread he was feeling at the sight of the wooden house that stood before him and Tanjiro. The forest was spooky enough even in the daylight. He didn't need the house in front of him to add to his daily list of terrors.

Although, if he had to be honest, the sight of the house itself really didn't scare him. It was what inside of it that terrified him. He could hear several beating heartbeats residing in it. Some of the heartbeats belonged to humans (which hopefully they were still alive), while the other heartbeats belonged to demons. The sound of the demons' heartbeats vibrated with bloodthirst. It always seemed that the more malicious demon was, the more the sound roughly shifted in pitch, becoming out of tune and grating to listen to. And the demons inside were definitely malicious and greedy, wanting to satisfy their hunger.

But the sound that stuck out to Zenitsu the most was the sound of a tsuzumi being played inside. Each beat of the drum's sound made him shiver in response. The sound of any instrument usually brought feelings of ease and comfort to Zenitsu. He enjoyed listening to any instrument's individual sound. With his enhanced hearing, he could make out any emotion or story conveyed in the melody of an instrument. But the sound of the tsuzumi being played in the wooden house was too eerie and almost uncomfortable for Zenitsu to want to continue to listen to it. Oddly, there was sadness in each beat, but it always shifted to deep hatred and anger. Each tap of the drum made his body steadily go colder with terror.

The drums inside the house were definitely being used for something malicious.

"Zenitsu?"

Zenitsu blinked, shaken out of his thoughts and turned to the boy that had called out to him, finding concerned red eyes staring back at him. Zenitsu wanted to reassure the other that he was okay, but he knew any attempt he made would not be believed by Tanjiro. How could he fool Tanjiro when he couldn't even fool himself? Tanjiro probably already caught on to the fact that his body was trembling. It didn't help that he could not stop listening to the beat of the drum inside the house.

"Tanjiro," Zenitsu decided to say, forgoing the idea to reassure the other. He looked back at the house and lowered his hand to his side from his ear (wait, when had he brought it to his ear) and spoke once more.

"There's a malicious sound coming from inside the house."

"A sound?" Tanjirou asked, his eyes widening in both confusion and surprise. It seemed like the red-haired boy wanted to question Zenitsu further, but the sound of bushes being ruffled made the two companions swiftly turned their sight away from the house to the side, finding a boy and a girl staring back at them with wide eyes. They were both holding on to each other, shivering in fear at the sight of him and Tanjiro. Zenitsu wondered if they were connected to what was inside the house.

Ah, that thought would have to wait. The beat of eerie drum started once more but rapidly this time, drawing all of Zenitsu's attention to it. The sound seemed much closer now. Zenitsu barely noticed Tanjiro asking for Chuntaro from him and taking the bird to the two kids to help them calm them down. Instead, he kept his focus the house before him, his ears picking up every sound the drum inside made. It had initially seemed farther away inside upon first hearing it, but it was steadily getting closer now. And he could hear some footsteps too. Although, he couldn't make out who the footsteps belonged to. However, it seemed like whoever the footsteps belonged to was running away from something, or…

_From someone._

As Zenitsu heard Tanjiro reassure the children that they would rescue their brother from the demon that had taken him inside the wooden house, he heard the sound of the drum inside suddenly switch in pitch, becoming twisted in anger and fury. Zenitsu could barely keep himself from stumbling back from the erupt change to the beat. It was loud and painful, blasting inside his head. Zenitsu had no idea how he could still hear Tanjiro's voice throughout all the noise echoing from inside the house. He could even hear the same footsteps he had heard earlier become louder now as well. And they were closer, running frantically to the open window on the second floor of the house, allowing Zenitsu to finally listen clearly to the heartbeat the footsteps belonged to.

Only to see the sight of a boy crashing to the ground in a pool of red liquid as its heartbeat began to quickly fade away.

"DON'T LOOK!" Zenitsu vaguely heard Tanjiro shout in the distance, probably doing his best to shield the children's eyes from the body, but Zenitsu didn't listen. Instead, all he could do was stare at the lifeless body.

Zenitsu's eyes never made the effort to look anywhere else. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tanjiro dashed forward to the broken body, talking to the unfortunate boy with concern and regret in his voice. He wished he could have found the courage to move too like Tanjiro to help the boy lying on the ground, but Zenitsu was petrified to where he stood. Something about the still boy made his stomach churn. It couldn't be hunger, could it? No, it shouldn't be. Not when Tamayo had already given him blood to eat. It had to be something else. Still, the sight in front of him wasn't something he found he couldn't handle. The sound of bones crashing to the ground and shattering would surely haunt his dreams now. And if not, it would definitely be the sound of a heart giving its last beat before going deathly silent. A silent heart was one of the things that scared Zenitsu the most. It was an eerie sound that always plagued the back of Zenitsu's mind.

A silent heartbeat meant the loss of life.

As that thought painstakingly resounded in Zenitsu's head, a sudden roar echoed from inside the building, shaking everything that stood in the outside. Zenitsu couldn't help but bring his hands to his ears, even though they were covered by his hood. His ears rang in pain from the sound of the demon's frustrated roar inside.

Was it because the boy laying at his feet had escaped from its clutches?

"That isn't our brother…" The younger boy suddenly said from where Tanjiro had left him and his sister. He was now clutching his younger sister to his chest, shielding her from the sight of the deceased boy. His name was Shoichi? Zenitsu really hadn't listened to their conversation when Tanjiro had calmed the two down with Chuntaro's help, but he did hear their names when they had addressed themselves to Tanjiro.

"Zenitsu," the yellowed haired boy heard Tanjiro say. Zenitsu switched his gaze from the children back to his companion, watching as the red-haired boy gently laid the still boy back down to the ground. He stood up and walked forward to Zenitsu.

"Can you stay here with them?" Tanjiro asked, gesturing towards the children that stared back at them.

"Eh?" Zenitsu asked, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief at Tanjiro'd request. Had Tanjiro really just asked him to stay here with the frightened children when he himself was too terrified to be able to help them stay calm. And wait- if Tanjiro wanted him to stay out here, then did that mean…

"You're going in there?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, his body growing colder at the idea. Tanjiro could not go in there. The demon inside was too strong. And actually, there was more than one. Tanjiro could not face several demons by himself when he was still injured from the last fight. How could not Tanjiro see that fact?!

"You can't go in there by yourself!" Zenitsu shouted, grabbing onto the other's haori with shivering hands. "There are multiple demons inside! And-and you're still injured! How are you going to protect me if you don't properly heal!?"

Zenitsu tightened his hold on Tanjiro's haori and brought his face closer to Tanjiro's chest, keeping the other from moving away.

"I'll go with you Tanjiro! You can't leave me here by myself! I'm weak, remember! I won't be able to protect myself and anyone else. So please, don't leave me here by myself!"

Tanjiro seemed shocked at Zenitsu's plead, almost as if he couldn't even comprehend what Zenitsu had just said. Actually, thinking about it, Zenitsu, himself, didn't fully understand what he had just told the other. He was a coward and utterly useless at fighting. Wouldn't it be safer to stay outside? Before Zenitsu could even take back his words, Tanjiro placed his hands firmly on Zenitsu's shoulders and made the brightest smile possible.

On second thought, Zenitsu probably should have just accepted Tanjiro's request to stay outside. He most likely just cursed himself to his fate of dying sooner than expected.

"Thank you, Zenitsu," Tanjiro said in pure gratitude, his voice as soothing as ever.

Zenitsu felt his cheeks heat up and was glad Tanjiro could not see his giddy expression from the praise. He honestly didn't know if he had just made the right choice, but judging from the scratching behind Tanjiro's back, it seemed like both of the siblings were happy that Zenitsu was going in with Tanjiro.

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro took his hands off his shoulders and turned, walking to the confused children. He kneeled down in front of them as he the box on his back off. Gently, he placed it on the ground in front of them and looked at them with all the kindness in his eyes. Zenitsu wondered if Tanjiro knew how to talk to them and make them feel safe because he was (no, still is) a big brother.

"I'm going to leave this with you," Tanjiro said. "If something happens, it will protect you from danger."

"T-Tanjiro, but-" Zenitsu started to say, confused over Tanjiro's sudden action, but Tanjiro didn't listen. Instead, he stood back up, turning away from the box and walked forward to take Zenitsu's hand into his. Despite wanting to firmly call out, he wanted to stay behind, Zenitsu reluctantly allowed Tanjiro to lead him to the house. The two entered it, shutting the door behind them with a loud creak that immediately sent fear down to Zenitsu's shaking knees. He didn't want Tanjiro to go inside the house by himself since Tanjiro was too stubborn to let himself heal properly, but he was terrified. Demons were frightening to face in combat. Even if he was a demon himself, there was no way he would be able to fight one. He was useless at fighting. The only thing that he was good at was crying, which was certainly not going to be any help for Tanjiro. He wasn't as strong as him. In the end, he knew he should have just stayed behind with the children. Tanjiro didn't need him.

_And yet, why was Tanjiro still holding onto his hand?_

"Tanjiro," Zenitsu quietly murmured, looking up at the other, whose back was turned to him as they continued to walk forward. "Why did you leave Nezuko-chan behind? Wouldn't it have been better if you brought her along with us?"

Tanjiro stopped, not making any movement to turn to face him. And yet, his soft voice gently caressed Zenitsu's ears, somehow helping Zenitsu feel at ease.

"I don't like the idea of leaving her behind, but I wanted to make sure the kids will be safe. Nezuko will protect them if anything goes wrong. Besides…"

Tanjiro turned with the brightest smile Zenitsu had ever seen from the red-haired boy.

"You're here with me, Zenitsu."

Zenitsu shook his head, feeling the unmistakable heat rise to his cheeks again. Did this idiot really think that him being there with him will change anything? Tanjiro was injured and Zenitsu was weak. They were doomed to die together at this rate. There was absolutely nothing good to come out of Zenitsu being by Tanjiro's side in a fight. He would only bring him down. That was the ugly unfortunate truth.

"Stop comforting me…" Zenitsu replied in a flat tone. "You know I can't fight. I wanted to come in to keep an eye on you for Nezuko-chan's sake, but there's nothing I can do to help. You know that."

Tanjiro blinked owlishly, confused. "But Zenitsu, you're-"

However, before Tanjiro could finish his answer, the sounds of footsteps from behind approached the two. Both Tanjiro and Zenitsu widened their eyes and turned to the direction of the entrance, finding Shoichi and Teruko running towards them with frightened expressions. Zenitsu felt his chest churned seeing the two there without Nezuko. They had unknowingly left her behind out in the daylight in her box.

She was alone and had no way of following them until nightfall.

"You guys shouldn't be here!" Tanjiro called out to the two with fear in his voice.

"It's… it's because oniichan's box was shaking." Shoichi explained shakily.

"Even so, you guys can't leave it there! That box is something even more important than my life…"

_'Don't say that about your life.'_

Zenitsu grimaced at Tanjiro's words, wanting to scold Tanjiro for even giving that answer. His life was just as important as Nezuko. If Nezuko were here, she would surely be making sure he understood that. Of course, Zenitsu wanted to say something, but his negative thoughts towards the situation they were in kept his gaze towards the ground. He needed any kind of distraction to get his mind away from his thoughts. Even the sound of the eerie drum being played nearby them was good enough to provide that distraction.

Wait…

Drum?

Zenitsu snapped to attention as the familiar tempo of a drum vibrated in the hall they were in. He stumbled forward in fear and shock from the sound, accidentally pushing Tanjiro and Teruko into the room near them with his body. He caught Tanjiro's eyes staring at with worry as he held on to the frightened girl. Zenitsu immediately tried to apologize to the red-haired boy but before he could even get one word out of his mouth, the sound of the drum nearby them suddenly switched in tempo, becoming increasing faster. It gave off one last beat and before he knew it, Tanjiro and Teruko were no longer there in front of him.

He had been completely separated from Tanjiro.

* * *

Tanjiro glanced around, his eyes stopping at the open door in front of him. Zenitsu and Shoichi had suddenly vanished. No, were Teruko and he the ones that had vanished? Still, it had seemed that with each beat of the drum, the room they had been pushed into by Zenitsu had completely changed to a new one. It had to mean they were the ones that had been moved.

Tanjiro slowly stood up as Teruko sniffled by him, gripping his haori even tighter with her small trembling hands. He felt his chest tightened with sadness. It reminded him of his younger siblings and how they would immediately latch on to him whenever they were scared. Tanjiro hated that the young girl was now inside the demon's nest with him. Along with fighting the demon, he would have to focus on protecting her from harm. He just didn't know if he could accomplish that. His injuries were still making it incredibly hard to move.

_'No don't think that. Endure it.'_

As the older brother, it was always his job to endure the hardships and pain for his siblings and mother. And right now, for Teruko's sake, he would have to endure the pain to protect her.

"I'm sorry for getting you separated from your brother, Teruko," Tanjiro addressed the girl softly as he kneeled down to wipe away her tears. "But I'll definitely protect you."

The tiny girl looked up at Tanjiro and hiccuped. "W-what about Shoichi-nicchan?"

Tanjiro lifted his lips into a wide encouraging smile and patted her head gently. "Don't worry. Zenitsu will protect your brother. He's really strong."

That's right. Zenitsu will definitely protect Shoichi. Although the yellow-haired boy was cowardly at heart and always begged Tanjiro to protect him, Tanjiro could tell that he was strong- both in swordsmanship and at willpower. All Zenitsu needed to do was find the courage to believe in his strength. After all, Tamayo had told him what Zenitsu had done during the fight with the Temari-wielding demon. Zenitsu had almost successfully sliced her neck off. If Zenitsu could do such a thing, then Tanjiro knew that Zenitsu was the right person he could trust to protect Shoichi.

Because no matter what, Zenitsu was kind and he would never let anyone get hurt. That was the type of person Tanjiro believed Zenitsu was.

He just hoped that Zenitsu would not get gravely injured while protecting Shoichi. He didn't think he could handle seeing his friend look so hurt and broken again.

_'Please stay safe, Zenitsu.'_ Tanjiro thought as the familiar smell of a demon began to approach the room.

It was time for him to fight.

* * *

"Tanjirooooo!" Zenitsu called out loudly, hoping that the red-haired would pop out from any of the rooms around him to respond to his call.

He had no idea how long he and Shoichi had been in the house now, but it was long enough for Zenitsu to want out. After Tanjiro and Teruko had vanished, Zenitsu wasted no time to look for the entrance. He didn't want to spend another second in a demon's nest without being by Tanjiro's side. Tanjiro made him feel safe and protected with the beautiful sound of his heartbeat. Without him, it felt like he was utterly alone.

That was why he quickly made his way to the entrance despite Shoichi's refusal to follow him. He made the excuse to himself that he was leaving to collect Nezuko's box and return inside with her. After all, if anyone could find Tanjiro, it had to be Nezuko, but upon opening the front door, he was met with the sight of an empty room. After endless efforts of opening each door he spotted in the hall, Zenitsu realized it was useless to continue looking for the entrance. He and Shoichi were already far too deep in the house to escape. The two of them were doomed to die.

Speaking of Shoichi…

Zenitsu slightly turned towards the boy, who only seemed to stare back at him with narrowed eyes. Zenitsu flinched under his iron gaze, letting out a small yelp, and turned back forward, wishing that Shoichi would look at anything else but him. The boy had initially made comments that stung about his initial response to find the entrance. He even went far in making comments about wishing he could be with Tanjiro since Zenitsu had wanted to run away. However, now all he kept asking was questions about his odd appearance.

Zenitsu knew he looked suspicious. He was wearing a mask and layers upon layers of clothing to cover his whole body, but he could not help that. Taking any of his clothing and mask off would no longer keep him protected from the cruel sunlight. Shoichi didn't know that, which was why the boy was suspicious. Despite that, Zenitsu didn't want to give any slight hint to the boy what he was. A demon had taken his brother and was now keeping them trapped inside its nest. Zenitsu knew that if Shoichi found out what he was, the boy would immediately become fearful of him. And honestly, Zenitsu did not want the boy to be terrified. He rather let Shoichi be annoyed with his cowardice than look at him with fear.

Still, his comments really did sting.

"Zenitisu-san, why are you wearing a mask?"

And the questions started again.

"I told you already," Zenitsu answered as each step he took on the creaky floorboards made his body tremble (he really could not take any more of this). "I had a really bad accident and now my face is horribly damaged. Just seeing it will cause you to die! Die, I tell you! I can't let you die from that! You're too young to die!"

"If so, why are you wearing all those clothes? Is your whole body injured then?"

"Yes!" Zenitsu cried, hoping the young boy would buy his lie.

There were a few seconds of silence before Shoichi continue to ask more questions.

"Are you really a swordsman? You're shaking so badly and all you have talked about is dying. Aren't you ashamed about that? You're supposed to be the older one."

Zenitsu froze, no longer walking. He lowered his gaze to the ground deep in thought. Yes, he was supposed to be the older one- kind and dependable like Tanjiro and strong and caring like Nezuko, but that was not him. He was weak and useless, characteristics that a swordsman shouldn't have. Shoichi was right to comment on those negative aspects of himself, but it still hurt to hear that. It hurt because he knew it was the truth.

"I can't help it…" Zenitsu finally said, after a moment of pure silence. "I can't really do anything by myself. If I try to do anything, the thought that I could actually die hits me. I know it's not like I have anything to look forward to now and that it's probably best if I die, but I want to be protected still... "

Zenitsu widened his eyes, realizing what he said and turned to Shoichi, waving his hands back and forth.

"Ah, forget I said that! I don't know what I was saying. Anyway, shouldn't we be as quiet as possible? We might get discovered by demons if we continue to talk."

Shoichi blinked and tilted his head questionably. "Zenitsu-san, are you sure you're not saying that because you don't want to answer me anymore?"

"Of course not!" Zenitsu shouted, shaking his head much too quickly in denial. "I'm sorry, okay?! I just don't think I can take any more of your words! They really do sting, you know! Have some concern for me! I'm trying my best here!"

And that was when Zenitsu heard it- a sound that made his body freeze in terror. With wide trembling eyes, he slowly turned his gaze past Shoichi to where the sound vibrated from- finding a grinning demon slowly slithering from under the porch near them, it's long, disgusting tongue moving slowly in satisfaction for finding another meal. Gods, the demon sounded so horrible. Zenitsu couldn't take listening to the twisted sound of its heartbeat. It's tempo vibrated in a loud and grating pitch. It was really hungry and it would gladly eat the boy right next to Zenitsu to fill its hunger- something that Zenitsu was frightened to allow to happen.

"A neck…" the demon said in pure glee, his lips turning upward excitably. "A child's neck. Biting down on it might feel really good on my tongue."

The demon stopped moving though once it set its sight on Zenitsu, staring at him with all four of his eyes.

"Another one?" The demon questioned with clear confusion in its voice. It suddenly smiled widely, saliva drooling from its ugly tongue. "Hey, do you mind if I take a bite out of your meal? Or better yet, can I take it off your hands?"

Zenitsu wanted to be sick. Did this demon really think he had Shoichi by his side to only eat him? As if Zenitsu could do that! But that demon didn't know that. It thought he was just like him- one of the demons in this cursed nest that was trying to find its next meal. Still, there was absolutely no way Zenitsu was going to do that. Just the thought made him want to faint.

That was why Zenitsu wasted no time to take Shoichi's hand into his and try to flee. He may not be strong enough to fight the tongue demon, but they still could run. He just wanted to get as far away as possible from the demon before it could hurt Shoichi.

"Hey now," the demon's voice echoed from behind them. It was now following them on all four of its limbs like an animal. "You shouldn't keep it all to yourself. I'll even let you keep a limb or two. I just want the main course."

Zenitsu grimaced. How could that demon say such a thing?

"Don't come any closer!" Zenitsu screeched at the demon, gripping Shoichi's hand tighter into his. "This child is not delicious! Definitely not DELICIOUS, I tell you! He's all skin and bones and dry as HELL! He's not good to eat! He'll only upset your stomach! So go find something else to eat!"

The demon laughed. "I haven't had a good meal in a while, especially a child. How will I know if he's not good to eat if I don't have a taste of him first?"

Something in Zenitsu's mind screamed at him to move, which he did not hesitate to react upon. Ears ringing, he grabbed onto Shoichi, bringing him to his chest and swiftly moved to the side just as something inhumanly fast shot past them. The two crashed into the nearby door, falling forward into the room behind it. Zenitsu looked back just in time to see the demon's tongue breaking a water jar that had been right next to them, shattering it to pieces. Zenitsu gaped at the shattered jar with wide eyes, his hands trembling as Shoichi's hold on his haori became even tighter. Just like that, the demon had broken the jar like it was nothing and with its tongue nonetheless. The tongue was sharp and fast. How could Zenitsu hope to protect Shoichi from something like that?

"Zenitsu-san," he heard Shoichi say as the other tried to make him stand back up from the ground. "Get up!"

But Zenitsu found he couldn't. His body was shaking too badly now to even consider the possibility of standing up. Was this how it felt to be so close to dying?

"I-I can't! Zenitsu cried out. "So much of the fear has now reached my knees! Just leave me! It's you he's after! Don't worry about me! Run as fast as you can!"

"I can't do that!" Shoichi instantly denied, his head shaking back and forth. He took Zenitsu's hand into his and tried to pull him forward. Even though the demon clearly wanted to devour him, Shoichi was still willing to not leave Zenitsu behind. It brought a sense of warmth to Zenitsu's chest. This boy was too good for the cruel world they lived in. His heart was beating in fright and yet he was still making the effort to help Zenitsu when he could just leave him behind. Zenitsu wanted to protect such a kind-hearted boy. He honestly wanted to protect him from getting eaten. Shoichi was just simply too young to die.

_But what could he do when he was too afraid to get back up on his feet?_

"Found you…" the demon's voice rang out from behind.

Zenitsu froze and slowly turned, locking eyes with the approaching demon as it licked its mouth with its long tongue in amusement.

"Give the kid to me, brat." The demon said, tilting its head sideways and pressing it towards the ground. "If you do, I'll let you go with a limb, but I'm going to be the one to suck out its brain matter from its ears."

Zenitsu felt something inside him snap at that comment. Whatever it was, it sent Zenitsu backward, eyes rolling to the back of his head, as the room around him spun around. He found himself giving one last look at Shoichi before the room quickly faded away to darkness as the guilt of not being able to protect Shoichi swallowed him whole.

* * *

"Zenitsu-san!" Shoichi cried out, trying to desperately shake the unconscious masked boy awake but to no avail.

Without any warning, Zenitsu had fainted and fallen asleep. The only indication that he was asleep was the loud snores Shoichi heard from underneath his mask. Shoichi had no idea what happened. It could have been the overwhelming fear that had caused Zenitsu to faint. Whatever it was, Zenitsu was now completely unable to escape with him.

"Heh… I guess the brat doesn't want a bite." The monster mused with glee. "Fine by me. More for me to eat then."

Shoichi flinched and turned his sight away from Zenitsu to the monster, watching as it's four eyes locked on to him with crazed hunger. Shoichi was terrified the way it looked at him, it's long tongue slowly extending from its mouth ready to lash out at him. The tongue was disgusting but so much dangerous. He had seen what the tongue had done to the water jug near them. It had completely shattered it. Shoichi was terrified of what that tongue could do to him.

At this thought, Shoichi clutched Zenitsu's haori even tighter with his hands. Even though Zenitsu was beyond suspicious with the way the monster talked about him wanting a bite of Shoichi as well, he was still the only one who was there who could protect him. And even if Zenitsu was like the monster in front of them, Shoichi found that he still trusted Zenitsu. Zenitsu had been with Tanjiro when the two older ones had found him and his sister. It had to mean Zenitsu was good. Tanjiro wouldn't be traveling with such a bad person.

Still, he was so scared at the idea that this would be the end. He didn't like the fear of knowing he wouldn't be able to see his older and younger sister any longer.

"Die!" The demon shouted, launching its tongue at the wide-eyed shaking boy.

_Goodbye Kiyoshi-niichan and Teruko. I'm sorry…_

Without thinking, Shoichi squeezed his eyes shut one last time and screamed Zenitsu's name, knowing that soon, all there would be pain and blood.

But that never happened.

Instead, there was the sound of something being chopped off and falling to the ground with a deafening thud.

Slowly, Shoichi opened his eyes, hesitant to see what had saved him. But once he did, he immediately widened his eyes in shock. In front of him stood Zenitsu, no longer laying on the ground lifeless. And although Zenistu was still asleep (his snores were so loud), he was eerily calm and silent, something Shoichi never knew Zenitsu could be given how loud the masked boy was. Still, gone was the boy that had been trembling in fright only seconds earlier in place of a boy that was standing so confidently. Shoichi had no idea what had changed in Zenitsu so suddenly. It had seemed like he was a completely different person now.

"W-what?" The monster in front of them breathed in shock, bringing its now bleeding tongue back to its mouth. Strangely, the damaged tongue was starting to heal. Despite that, the monster held no concern over his wound and instead narrowed its eyes at Zenitsu. Although, Shoichi caught the slightest glimpse of fear from its gaze.

Was the monster afraid of Zenitsu?

"How can you use that sword?!" The demon growled, spitting saliva from its mouth everywhere around it. "And that black outfit! Those wretched demon slayers hunt us and kill us! Don't tell me you're actually one of them?!"

Shoichi widened his eyes in confusion. What did the monster mean? Zenitsu wasn't like the monster. He had protected him. Would a monster do that? But it had seemed like whatever thing Zensitu was affiliated with, his sword and black outfit were indications of it. And the monster was frightened of this knowledge.

Whoever Zenitsu was, Shoichi was just happy he wasn't a monster.

"No matter…" the monster spat, extending its gross tongue at Zenitsu. "I'll just kill you too."

And then Zenitsu did something unexpected- he crouched down on one leg and moved his hand over his unsheathed sword, making the oddest sound with his breathing. Shoichi stared at the tensed boy in front of in shock but also with wonder. How could Zenitsu say all those things about him being too weak to fight? What he saw in front of him was a strong and dependable swordsman.

Just as Shoichi realized this, Zenitsu finally spoke.

"Thunder Breathing First Style, Thunderclap and Flash…"

And before Shoichi could even blink, Zenitsu _moved_. He was much too fast for Shoichi to follow but when Zenitsu had finally stopped, all Shoichi could do was gasp. The monster's head was no longer attached to its head and was instead slowly rolling on the ground behind its body, coming to a stop at Zenitsu's feet. When it touched him, it seemed like whatever was keeping Zenitsu asleep finally released its hold on him because as soon as the heard made contact with his feet, Zenitsu screeched loudly, jumping back in pure terror.

Only, something was different….

Zenitsu was no longer wearing his mask.

"Ahh!" Zenistu screamed, pointing at the dying monster. "What's going on?! How did it die?!"

Slowly, Zenistu looked up at Shoichi, his expression quickly switching from confusion and fear to pure gratitude. Before Shoichi could even respond, Zenitsu launched forward to the boy, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Oh, Shoichi! You saved me, didn't you! Even though I told you to run, you still stayed and fought for me! I had no idea you were so strong! I won't ever forget your kindness!"

Shoichi shook his head in a daze. "Zenitsu-san, you're…"

He paused and turned to the side, finding Zenitsu's mask lying on the ground. It was not damaged thankfully, but given how Zenitsu had been wearing it this whole time, it must have been extremely important to him.

However, now that it was no longer on Zenitsu's face, Shoichi could finally see what the older boy looked like.

And surprisingly, the monster was correct in what it called Zenitsu. Behind his mask was strikingly bright yellow eyes with dark slits in the center of each pupil and fangs in his mouth that seemed razor sharp.

Zenitsu, indeed, was a monster too.

But strangely, this only made Shoichi feel at ease. He was not like the monster that had taken his older brother or like the one that had died right in front of him from Zenitsu's blade. Despite all his whining and crying over his weakness as a swordsman, Zenitsu was very kind and dependable. And those special traits seemed to only make Shoichi stare at the older boy in wonder.

He was not scared of Zenitsu. No, far from that.

He was amazed by him.

"Agh! My mask!" Zenitsu screeched, taking his arms off Shoichi and quickly covering his face as best as he could with his shaking hands. Shoichi realized that Zenitsu didn't want to see his face. It didn't take Zenitsu too long to find his mask and when he did, he readily fastened back on over his face and looked back at Shoichi to apologize for his ugly appearance.

"Zenitsu-san," Shoichi said quietly, forgoing the idea to ask any of the questions he now had about Zenitsu's appearance. He could tell that Zenitsu was uncomfortable and even frightened at what Shoichi would do next. Shoichi was not going to put him in a position to answer all his new questions. He couldn't do that to him.

So, instead, Shoichi took a step forward and gently took Zenitsu's hand into his.

"Thank you." Shoichi breathed with all the gratitude he now had for Zenitsu.

Zenitsu stared back at him in silence for a few seconds before erupting into a loud sob. The older boy wrapped his arms around Shoichi, sniffling and crying while thanking Shoichi for not being scared of him and saving him. Shoichi didn't have the heart to tell Zenitsu who had really saved them, but he was contempt with allowing Zenitsu to know that he was not afraid of him.

Zenitsu may be a monster, but as the older boy continued to sob, Shoichi started to understand that Zenitsu was more human than any monster he had so far seen.

And that fact made Shoichi realize that Zenitsu was just as a nice older brother as Tanjiro was.

Now if only Zenitsu would calm down so they could continue looking for Tanjiro and his two other siblings.

* * *

**A/N: **The next update will be in two weeks. Look forward to a certain boar making his appearance.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Not much to say other than I hope that everyone had a great start of the new year. My initial plan last month was to post two short chapters, but they ended up rolling into one long chapter of 17 pages. I wish I can update faster, but I want to continue writing chapters that I am satisfied with. Since school has begun for me, I am going to stick with updating with at least one chapter every month. That way, I can have enough time to write and edit. With all that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Somnolent Sushi Roll: **Certainly an aspect of himself that's never going to change.

**tollo666: **Thank you! And I guess I don't mind just as long as you give credit.

**Morskijez:** Thank you! I didn't want to change things too much but still make enough small changes to canon. And yep, Shoichi is a good kid. More so here since he knows Zenitsu is a demon, but still doesn't abandon him. And poor Tanjiro. Seeing Zenitsu hurt, while knowing what the other has gone through will definitely make the sun child angry.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Since he was young, Zenitsu always knew he could hear exceptionally well.

And that 'special gift' used to scare him. He couldn't count the many times his younger self would lay wide awake at night terrified of the noisy world around him. Any normal human wouldn't be able to hear the way all living things breathed as well as the pounding of their heartbeats. It just wasn't possible. In fact, no normal human should be able to listen to conversations asleep. But Zenitsu could. He could hear all the things that were impossible to hear with his abnormal ears. Without meaning to, he had spent most of his childhood listening to the sounds of all the things he came across in his daily life.

And as he grew up, he came to learn that all living things had a distinct sound that belonged to them. Whether a person was bad or good at heart, they all had a sound that reflected their personality and inner self. Even Zenitsu had a sound of his own. Although he could never make up his mind about what his own sound was supposed to sound like, it was definitely always changing.

Sometimes, it would pitter-patter like rain on a warm summer's day or other times, it would make claps of thunder on days of brewing storms.

Yes, his sound certainly could never pick a tune to stick with.

But after he had turned to a demon, it seemed like his ever-changing sound had finally picked a tune.

Only it wasn't what he had expected.

Every demon had an ugly sound. That was an undeniable fact he came to learn on his own. The first time he had discovered what a demon's heartbeat sounded like, his ears had throbbed from the experience. Of course, his ears became more adjusted to listening to a demon's heartbeat over time, but there were still occasions in which his ears would sting in pain. He later began to understand after the Final Selection that the more malicious a demon was, the more the sound roughly shifted in tempo, becoming extremely painful to listen to. Zenitsu tried to listen for that distinct sound in his own tune, but there was never anything to pick up with his ears.

His sound had become eerily silent.

And it completely baffled Zenitsu. Nezuko was a demon and yet her sound was all the more present. Her sound mimicked a stream, the kind that was ever-changing in each current it took. There were times when the stream was tranquil and at peace and there were times when Zenitsu felt like the stream could turn into an angry tsunami. However, that anger was never directed at any that Nezuko looked at with love and fondness. It was always directed at the demons that wanted to hurt him, Tanjiro, and anyone else that Nezuko felt she needed to protect. Even though her heart still vibrated in that familiar pitch of a demon's heartbeat, it never bothered Zenitsu the slightest. Strangely, her sound, like Tanjiro's, made him feel at ease. Her heartbeat was certainly anything but silent like his own.

Which made Zenitsu suspect that the reason he probably couldn't hear his own sound any longer had to do something with himself.

Of course, he never brought up to anyone, especially Tanjiro. Gramps was the only person who had actually listened to him concerning the sounds he could hear. It took a while for him to even tell Gramps what he could do. The world was very loud and as a child, Zenitsu realized he could never find a moment of peace. Gramps was the only one who came to understand this. Thinking about it, Zenitsu actually never wanted to open up to anyone about his abnormal gift, let alone Gramps, but Gramps was a stubborn old man. He didn't know when exactly Gramps had suspected his sharp hearing, but after one very loud training session, the old man continued to nag him senseless until he confessed everything about his ears. But strangely, unlike what Zenitsu had initially feared, Gramps wasn't afraid of him.

No, Gramps had readily accepted it.

There was a time when Zenitsu had told someone about his abnormal gift, but it had only led to misfortune for him. Before he had met Gramps, there were many girls Zenitsu tried to date. There was one, in particular, he felt he could trust. The way she looked at him gave him butterflies and she seemed so kind. Even though her sound sometimes shifted in a tempo that spoke of lies and deceit, Zenitsu still wanted to believe he had found the one. She was the first girl that didn't look at him initially with disgust after their first meeting together. After a week of presenting her gifts, Zenitsu decided to open up and tell the girl about his hearing ability, but instead of accepting him like he thought she would do, she merely scoffed at him and threw the drink he had given to her to his face, drenching him in its sticky substance. To make matters worse, she had told everyone about his creepy gift in the small village he lived in, making everyone he knew to look at him with disdain.

That day, Zenitsu realized two things.

One- his hearing was more of a curse than a blessing.

And two- he could never tell anyone that he was different. **Ever.**

Still, Tanjiro had proven that he different from the deceiving people he had met from his past. He had barely met Tanjiro, and Zenitsu already wanted to place all his trust in the red-haired boy. The only person who had Zenitsu's complete trust was Gramps. And that took a while to happen. It took weeks before Zenitsu had the courage to tell Gramps everything about his hearing ability. There was a chance that Tanjiro would be the same as Gramps and accept him for what he could do. But the little voice in the back of Zenitsu's head still whispered that he had no idea how Tanjiro would look at him if he came to understand Zenitsu's hearing ability. Zenitsu was frightened at the idea of the red-haired boy looking at him with narrowed eyes full of disdain for the unknown.

The simple truth was that Zenitsu didn't want Tanjiro to look at him with fear.

"Zenitsu-san!"

Ah, that was Shoichi again. The young boy had been attempting to help him up for several minutes now. Somehow, they had made it outside the creepy house. The two had been sent out the second-story window and crashed to the ground below after the room they had been standing in flipped. According to Shoichi, Zenitsu had shielded him from the impact, which explained why the back of his head was throbbing. Shoichi even said he was bleeding, the back of his hood being stained with red. There wasn't anything Zenitsu could do about his wound. But to appease the boy, he allowed Shoichi to help him up from the ground. He didn't need to tell Shoichi that the wound will soon heal on its own.

But Zenitsu didn't want to accept that he had saved Shoichi. Shoichi was adamant that Zenitsu had saved him from hitting the ground, but Zenitsu knew better. He was useless at helping people. He couldn't even save Shoichi from the demon earlier. What did Shoichi see in him to make him think that he had saved the young boy?

Was it pity?

"Ah, Nezuko-chan!" Zenitsu exclaimed, forgetting every negative thought for a moment.

He hastily turned away from Shoichi to the side, relief instantly washing over him at the sight of the box that still stood where it had been left by Tanjiro. Thankfully Nezuko was still safe inside. Nothing had changed to her sound. It was still beating in that familiar tempo of a flowing stream. Zenitsu was all the more grateful that no one had injured Nezuko while she had been left alone.

"Nezuko-chan?" Shoichi's voice piped up from Zenitsu's side.

Zenitsu flinched and quickly came up with the first excuse he could come up with his aching head.

"Uh, that's just what I call Tanjiro's box! Yeah! I named it Nezuko-chan for good luck."

Shoichi narrowed his eyes, making Zenitsu yelp once more. Of course, a lie like that wouldn't be believed by a boy as intelligent and strong like Shoichi, but Zenitsu had to try. However, judging from the boy's disbelief in his excuse, it seemed like Shoichi was going to try to get the truth out of him.

Which he was sure would have happened if it had not been for the crash of two doors being flung from their hinges behind them.

The two turned, watching as a pig-masked boy stomped onto the top of the fallen doors, laughing with an insufferable thick voice. Instantly, Zenitsu recognized the boy. Not from his features (although how could one forget a pig-masked person), but strikingly from the sound of his heartbeat. He recognized the sound from the Final Selection. The pig-masked boy had a sound that only a wild animal would make, always roaring to make others see its strength. No human should have a sound like the boy in front of him.

Well, no normal human for that matter.

"T-the fifth person that qualified…" Zenitsu shakily murmured to himself. "W-what's he doing here?"

Or better yet, why was he so hot-headed now of all times when clearly, the demons inside the house were gone.

And as if he heard him, the pig-masked boy stopped his incessant roaring and let his gaze fall onto Zenitsu, the eyes of his pig mask coldly staring right back. Zenitsu felt something twist inside him as fear coursed through his limbs. Something about the way the pig-masked boy's sound was pounding now did not sit right with Zenitsu.

It was as if the other suddenly had the idea to skewer him with his blades.

Widening his eyes at hearing the pig-masked boy's inner voice, Zenitsu wasted no time to move. As the violent boy charged forward, Zenitsu pushed Shoichi to the side and stumbled back, barely missing the sharp two blades from slicing his neck. He fell back with a hiss as his head injury sent a shock of pain through his body. Despite wanting to ease the pain, Zenitsu forced himself to get back up. The pig-masked boy in front of him would show no mercy for his prey. He would continue to attack until his swords met their target.

And yet, the pig-masked boy suddenly froze, his head turning over to the box that still stood on the side.

Zenitsu realized with horror that the pig-masked boy now had his focus on Nezuko.

"NO!" Zenitsu cried as the pig-mask dashed over to the box. With strength he didn't know he had left, Zenitsu flung himself over to the box, placing himself in front of it, his arms outstretched as he glared at the other.

"I won't let you hurt Nezuko-chan!"

The pig-masked boy froze with confusion apparent in his chaotic sound, but his hands never made the effort to lower his blades. "Hey, hey, a demon that can talk back. Move aside. I want to skewer the demon in the box first. I can tell it's strong. I want to FIGHT it."

Zenitsu shook his head, gritting his teeth. He was not going to let this person harm Nezuko. Not when he was the only one there that could protect her. Tanjiro would never forgive him if he allowed Nezuko to get hurt under his watch.

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Zenitsu seethed, his eyes narrowing in defiance. "Nezuko-chan is Tanjiro's precious family! You can't hurt her! She's all that he has left! If you want to hurt her, you have to go through me!"

The pig-masked boy stared at him for a few seconds before he erupted in a loud haughty laugh. "You sure like to talk impressive for a demon. Fine, I accept your challenge! But you're just a coward that's afraid to pull his own blade!"

And before Zenitsu could even react, he felt something sharp sink into his shoulder, twisting as it sunk deeper and deeper. Zenitsu thought he heard someone scream in the background, but everything was too much muffled to distinguish who the voice belonged to. All his ears could focus on was the sound of his muscles and nerves being gouged. It was just so loud. Zenitsu had no idea how long it lasted, but when the sword finally stopped moving, Zenitsu readily welcomed the silence that came after. And yet, the silence did not last too long. It was quickly replaced with the sound of the sword being jerked back and pulled away from his body without any warning. Zenitsu felt his eyes fall onto the sight of the now bloody blade as the smell of blood entered his nostrils from underneath his mask. In the distance, he realized that someone was screaming again, loud and agonized with pain. He initially thought it was Shoichi, but it was only until the screaming stopped did he realize that his throat was now painfully dry and sore.

Oh, had he been the one screaming?

Zenitsu wanted to ease the pain that was now erupting from his shoulder, but he ignored the selfish desire. Instead, he turned towards the box behind him and cradled it to his chest as the pig-masked boy's foot met his head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Again, Zenitsu screamed as the tip of one of the pig-masked boy's blades penetrated his body, this time tearing into his leg. The pain was too much and it made Zenitsu want to faint. But stubbornly, he forced himself to keep his eyes open and tightened his hold on Nezuko's box. Somehow, from all the ringing in his ears, he managed to pick up the sound of Nezuko scratching loudly from inside her box, barely keeping her anger in control. It was obvious that Nezuko wanted to come out and protect him.

_'Please no, Nezuko-chan'_ Zenitsu thought as dark spots began to cloud his vision after another kick had been delivered to the back of his already injured head (it was a wonder his mask had not come off yet). _'You can't come out. You can't. I'm fine. I'm fine really.'_

**_'I have to protect you.'_**

"Third Fang: Rip and Devour."

Zenitsu widened his eyes with terror at those words. Although it was not a breath style he had heard of, Zenitsu knew what those words meant. Whatever would come next would most likely be the finishing blow. It was odd now that the pig-masked decided to finally kill him after beating him insensibly. Perhaps something had held the ruthless boy back from abruptly beheading him. Whatever the case, Zenitsu knew he was going to die now and he was terrified. Not because he was going to die in a gruesome way, but of the fact he would be leaving Tanjiro, Nezuko and Gramps behind. Zenitsu knew he was going to have to die eventually. Being a demon slayer guaranteed an early death while being a demon guaranteed a death sentence. How ironic that before all this mess started, he was so frightened of the idea of dying when now, he was more afraid of leaving the people that had cared for him behind. He really was weak. What a better way to deal with a weak demon like him than to just end him. It made perfect sense.

After all, like what the pig-masked demon slayer said- he was a coward.

"STOP!"

Zenitsu felt his body stiffened at the familiar sound of gentle bells ringing as they exited the old wooden house behind him. What followed was the deafening sound of the pig-masked boy being punched in the chest and being sent back with the sound of ribs cracking. Zenitsu grimaced from the abrupt sound, his body trembling as the pig-masked boy crashed into a tree trunk in the distance. Although the pig-masked boy had severely injured him, Zenitsu wished he didn't have to hear the other become injured. Cracked ribs had to hurt.

"Zenitsu!"

And suddenly, Zenitsu felt warm hands slowly help him up from the ground. Zenitsu didn't have to see who the hands belonged to know who had helped him. He knew from the gentle sound of the owner's hands.

Tanjiro had saved him.

"Tanjiro, you-" Zenitsu started to say, but the pounding from his head forced himself to stop speaking, sending his head forward in dizziness. Everything was still blurry and he could barely see Tanjiro's face from his spotty vision. But he still could hear Tanjiro. And there were so many emotions being carried in his sound. Tanjiro was concerned, sad, even feeling guilt, but most of all…

He was furious.

Zenitsu didn't think he would ever see Tanjiro angry again. Not after the red-haired boy had left him and Nezuko at the udon stand back in Asakusa to chase the demon that had murdered his family. Since that incident, he still always remained kind and patient to everyone he met. It was still an entirely new thing to see from Tanjiro.

And Zenitsu was hoping that Tanjiro would calm down soon. He couldn't handle seeing the kindhearted boy in such an emotional state again.

"Aren't you a member of the demon hunters?!" He heard Tanjiro yell furiously at the pig-masked boy that was still surprisingly down from the punch to his gut. "Zenitsu is a member as well! It's taboo for members to hurt each other with their swords!"

"And you're enjoying yourself while others are in pain- while you almost killed Zenitsu?! **You really are despicable!**"

"Cough… cough… hahaha… guhahaha… Is that so? But isn't he a demon? I didn't know demons were members now…" The pig-masked boy lifted his head and flipped himself up from the ground with his legs as he threw his swords to the side. "But if that's how it is, then let's just duel with our bare hands!"

Zenitsu felt his body flinch at those words, but it seemed that Tanjiro's anger was beginning to dissipate, quickly being replaced with confusion and concern. It was clear that the pig-masked boy was reckless and unbelievably clueless in the rules that they as demon slayers had to follow, but still, some rules were being ignored by Tanjiro himself. Zenitsu and Nezuko were both demons. Despite Zenitsu being a demon hunter (could he even still call himself that now), he still was a demon. The pig-masked boy had every right to kill him and Nezuko, so Tanjiro had to at least consider that the other was just following rules.

Even if it still seemed wrong.

After one very short battle that ended with a head bash from Tanjiro's hard forehead, Tanjiro immediately rushed back to Zenitsu's side leaving the no longer pig-masked boy behind unconscious on the ground. Zenitsu found himself rather annoyed by Tanjiro's endless worrying. The red-headed boy helped the children cover his wounds with some cloth, never stopping to worry about his own injuries. Zenitsu was irritated by this. When Tanjiro suggest for him to take a vial of blood from the supply Tamayo face to them, he outrightly refused. Even though his wounds stung with each movement he made, they still were healing (although slowly). He didn't want to consume the blood in front of the children, especially Shoichi. It was not something he was brave enough to do. It took some time, but Tanjiro reluctantly allowed him to not eat the blood, but there was a promise from him that Zenitsu would have to take it later (Not that Zenitsu couldn't disagree, he was starting to get hungry).

Once he could gather his strength to stand upright without falling over from the pain, Zenitsu followed Tanjiro inside the house to help him bury the deceased. It was devastating to see how many unfortunate victims were in the wooden house. Zenitsu couldn't stomach the idea that there were probably more that had met their demise of being eaten whole and thus, would never have a proper burial. It was sad to think of. Each victim he saw made him want to rush back outside and forget. And yet despite that desire, Zenitsu still tried to help Tanjiro complete the task.

It wasn't until they officially buried the first victim that the pig boy finally woke up.

Zenitsu immediately cowered behind Tanjiro once the boy rushed forward to them to fight once more. Zenitsu was of course still scared, but he had to admit that it seemed like the pig boy that had attacked them was not as frightening anymore. Sure, his sound still had that tune of a headstrong animal, but it was more mellow now as if it had been tamed.

"What are you guys doing?!" The pig boy called out, his eyes wandering over to the grave by Tanjiro and Zenitsu.

"Burying the dead of course," Tanjiro answered simply, setting a stone on the grave before turning back to the other.

"My name is Kamado Tanjiro and this is Agatsuma Zenitsu."

Tanjiro gestured to Zenitsu with a nod and turned back to Inosuke. "You should help us bury the dead as well. There are still a bunch of people that were killed in the house."

Inosuke narrowed in his eyes and raised his fist in irritation. "Huh?! It's pointless to bury the remains of living organisms! Who would even think to do that! I'm not helping you! How about you fight me instead?! I, Hashibira Inosuke, will defeat your wide forehead!"

Zenitsu stared at Inosuke incredulously, beginning to realize that this pig-masked boy had also brain problems besides anger problems.

"Is that so?" Tanjiro replied with actual concern in his voice. "Is it because your wounds still hurt? That must be why you're unwilling to help, right?"

"It's okay," Tanjiro continued with a wave of his hand, ignoring Inosuke's shocked expression. "Everybody has different levels of pain tolerance. Burying people is a really tiring job. But Zenitsu and these kids are all very capable to dig holes, so it's okay. You can just rest until then."

Zenitsu turned his sight to Tanjiro, not being able to comprehend if the red-haired boy was really intelligent or really oblivious. Whatever the case, his words did make Inosuke angry enough to want to prove that he could complete the task. The loud boy even boasted that he could make just as many holes as Tanjiro and Zenitsu, not even giving them the two the chance to answer and scurrying off to start digging the next grave.

And with that, their task of burning the dead went even faster. By the next hour, the dead were all successfully buried and given a proper prayer for their safe passage to the afterlife.

Their mission was finally over.

Not wanting to let the children go home by themselves, Tanjiro and the two other boys accompanied them down the mountain path. The sky had begun to turn a lovely hue of red and orange just as they reached the path in which the children would take to their home. Before they could start their trek, Tanjiro's crow decided to spit out an incense bag from its mouth that smelled of wisteria for Kiyoshi, Teruko and Shoichi's older brother, who (from what Tanjiro had told Zenitsu) had rare blood that demons wanted to feast upon. Zenitsu almost had to take a step back from the older brother at the scent of the incense bag. It was well known to a demon slayer that demons feared wisteria for their ability to repel them. Although his nose was not as strong as Tanjiro's nose, Zenitsu had to admit the smell of the wisteria was repulsive to him. If there was any doubt if the incense bag would work, Zenitsu knew now that there was no need to worry. The incense bag would definitely protect Kiyoshi.

"Zenitsu-san."

Zenitsu blinked and turned, finding Shoichi in front of him, no longer at his brother's side. The young boy took a step forward and took Zenitsu's hand into his.

"Thank you for helping me. I know you say you've said repeatedly that you're weak and a coward, but you're strong Zenitsu-san. You protected me and I won't ever forget that."

Zenitsu gaped at Shoichi in shock. How could Shoichi say those words, even going as far as in complimenting him for the strength he didn't have? He fainted in terror at the sight of a demon. Besides, Shoichi had been the one that had protected him. The kind younger boy had acted far braver than him. Shoichi had to be taking pity on him. Yes, that was it. That was the only logical conclusion Zenitsu could come up with.

And yet, Shoichi's words oddly made Zenitsu feel warm inside.

Zenitsu watched in silence as Shoichi released his hand and moved back to his brother's side, waving goodbye with his siblings. Zenitsu felt his heart tinged at the sight of Shoichi leaving. It had been nice being protected by the young boy. Sure, Tanjiro and Nezuko were there by his side now, but Shoichi had protected him just as well as the two siblings. Zenitsu found himself wishing that the young boy could come with him. Shoichi had proven that he was just as strong and caring as Tanjiro and Nezuko. The more people that could protect Zenitsu, the more Zenitsu would feel at ease. There was only so much Zenitsu could handle on his own before crumbling under his overwhelming fear of dying and leaving those that cared for him behind.

After all, a demon like him was doomed to die in the end.

Eventually, the trio of demon hunters continued their trek through the forest, following Tanjiro's crow to their next destination. The crow did not say anything where exactly they would be heading, but Zenitsu suspected it would not take too long to get there. He just hoped it wasn't another demon's nest. Besides the idea that he wouldn't be able to handle taking on more demons in his emotional state, there was also the matter of his two companions' physical health. Both Tanjiro and Inosuke were far too injured to fight another demon. And although Zenitsu wasn't as injured as them, he was exhausted. His wounds had already healed, but it took much of his energy. It was getting harder to walk upright with each step he took.

"Don't think of me as somebody you can relate to. I don't have any parents or siblings." Zenitsu heard Inosuke loudly proclaimed, now with his pig mask back on his head hiding his feminine complexion. "See, my only hobby is matching my strength against other creatures!"

Zenitsu rolled his eyes at Inosuke's boasting of his strength. Tanjiro had asked Inosuke about how he had become a demon slayer and the pig boy had explained to the pair what he recklessly did. Once he learned about the Final Selection and the existence of demons from a poor unfortunate demon hunter that had happened to stumble along his path, the pig-headed boy decided to charge right to the Final Selection to enter the exam and pass it. Zenitsu found himself wondering why Inosuke would even want to fight demons. He wasn't like Tanjiro who became a demon slayer to cure his sister and he definitely wasn't like him, who got roped into the mess because of his Gramps. No, Inosuke simply decided to hunt demons for the pure joy of fighting. What kind of demon hunter was he?

"I will definitely catch you off guard and defeat you Kamaboku Banchiro!" Inosuke continued to boast, laughing boisterously at the idea.

"Who are you talking to?" Zenitsu piped up, having enough of the pig boy's bragging. He took a step away from Tanjiro's back before the other could say anything in reply. "His name is Tanjiro!"

Inosuke turned to him and Zenitsu felt his breath hitch, expecting the wild pig-headed boy to attack him again for interrupting, but instead, the boy guffawed as he took a step forward and pointed to him with his index finger. "I'll fight you too Monitsu! A demon like you will be a worthy opponent for me!"

"Inosuke," Tanjiro gently replied. "Zenitsu is one of us, a demon hunter. You shouldn't fight him."

"Besides," Tanjiro continued, never taking a step away from Zenitsu. "You should apologize to Zenitsu for hurting him. If you do that, we can spar later together."

Inosuke seemed to consider Tanjiro's words (for once) and turned to Zenitsu.

"Fine! I apologize Monitsu!"

"It's Zenitsu!" Zenitsu corrected, but he decided to accept the not-so sincere apology. It was probably the only apology he would get from the hot-headed boy.

By sunset, the trio finally arrived at their destination: a house with the crest of wisteria painted on the door. According to Tanjiro's crow, the crest belonged to a family that rescues the lives of demon hunters. The family would serve any demon hunter and ask nothing in return. The house in front of them happened to belong to an old lady with white hair tied in a bun. After Tanjiro's crow commanded to the trio to stay and rest to heal from their injuries, the old lady opened the door and welcomed them in, moving much too fast for a normal old woman. Zenitsu couldn't help but call the old lady a monster for this, which Tanjiro was quick to scold him for. Zenitsu knew he was rude, but how were Tanjiro and Inosuke oblivious to the old lady's ability to instantly appear when she was needed? The old lady was scary.

The trio was assessed thoroughly by a doctor the old lady had called over and were given a report of the injuries they had acquired. Zenitsu didn't have any physical injuries, but the doctor noted that he was exhausted and needed rest. Meanwhile, Tanjiro sustained three broken ribs and a sprained ankle while Inosuke had four broken ribs and a throbbing bump on his forehead (most likely from Tanjiro's forehead bash). The doctor ordered the three to rest with no strenuous activities for the duration of the time they would be staying. Zenitsu didn't complain. He was all the more happy to finally be able to relax and not worry about fighting another demon.

The old lady had given them yukata to change to and showed them to a room where dinner was waiting for them. Inosuke immediately tried to fling to the food, but Tanjiro was quick to grab his arm and hold him back until they all could properly thank the old lady. After changing out of their uniforms (and in Zenitsu's case- taking off all of his extra clothing, except his mask), the trio set themselves at the small table where their dinner sat.

Dinner was chaotic. Inosuke ate like a barbarian, stuffing his face with food as if he had never eaten a proper meal in weeks. He ate with his hands, never sparing a look at the eating utensils that had been set out for him. The hot-headed boy even stole food from Tanjiro's own plate with a smug grin, taunting the other to fight him for the food. Of course, Tanjiro didn't mind and would offer more food to Inosuke, which Zenitsu responded to by giving his food to Tanjiro. He had felt guilty that the old monster lady had made food for him that he couldn't eat, but given how Tanjiro was willing to let Inosuke eat his own food, it had worked out in the end. Zenitsu was not going to let the red-haired boy go hungry. He was going to make sure Tanjiro ate his fill.

After consuming the food, the boys were led to another room by the old lady where three futon had been set out for them. Inosuke wasted no time to choose the futon he wanted to sleep on, even taunting Tanjiro yet again to fight him. Zenitsu stared down at the pig boy in annoyance for this. It seemed like Inosuke had completely forgotten about Nezuko. And while the knowledge that he was a demon had been discussed to the pig boy by Tanjiro, it seemed like Inosuke no longer cared. All he wanted to do now was continuously taunt Tanjiro. Whatever the case, Zenitsu was just glad that Inosuke was no longer interested in hurting him or Nezuko.

"Zenitsu, here."

Zenitsu diverted his attention from Inosuke to his right, seeing Tanjiro holding out a tiny vial of blood to him. Zenitsu stared at the vial of blood with disdain and sighed, taking it from Tanjiro.

"Geez, Tanjiro. I wasn't going to forget. It just didn't feel right taking this in front of you and Inosuke while you guys were eating."

Tanjiro lifted his lips into a serene smile, the sound of bells ringing thoughtfully by Zenitsu's ears. "Thank you Zenitsu, but you don't have to worry. Inosuke and I won't mind. Just please don't force yourself to not eat. Tamayo-san said that it would be dangerous if you put yourself in that situation again."

_'I know that already Tanjiro!'_

But Zenitsu kept that thought to himself and poured the red liquid into his mouth, swallowing it all with one gulp. While it was disgusting to think about the knowledge he was consuming an actual person's blood, he was even disgusted with the idea that his body relished the taste of it. The small amount he ate made his body instantly become satisfied with delight.

And Zenitsu hated himself for this.

"Are you okay?" Zenitsu heard Tanjiro ask by him in concern.

Zenitsu shook his head and opened his mouth to address the other, but the sharp creak of a box being opened made him stop. He turned along with Tanjiro to the source of the sound, watching as Nezuko silently shuffled out of the wooden box that Tanjiro had left in the side of the room. Once she had grown to her actual size, Nezuko walked forward to the pair and wrapped her arms around the yellow-haired boy, pulling him into her embrace.

"Ah, Nezuko-chan!" Zenitsu cried, failing to stop the blush from creeping to his cheeks. "You don't need to hug me! I'm totally fine! My injuries have already healed and see, Tanjiro just made me eat some blood! So you don't have to worry about me! I'm okay!"

Nezuko hummed, but she never made the effort to release Zenitsu from her hold. If anything, it seemed like she had pulled him tighter to her chest.

"Zenitsu, thank you for protecting Nezuko." Zenitsu heard Tanjiro quietly say with all the gratitude resounding from his voice.

"Of course I would," Zenitsu murmured, letting his sight wander over to the red-haired boy as Nezuko released him. "Nezuko-can is precious to you. I couldn't let her get hurt. You said it yourself remember? She's more important than your own life."

Zenitsu paused and suddenly narrowed his eyes, raising a finger at Tanjiro's chest. "Speaking of which, your life is just as important as Nezuko-chan, so don't say that again! The next time you say that I'll make sure you regret it!"

Tanjiro widened his eyes and laughed, his voice playing gentle notes of gratitude and delight. Zenitsu huffed in irritation, not bothering to scold Tanjiro for his laughter. He disliked how Tanjiro had reacted to his words when he was trying to be serious. He really didn't want Tanjiro to think that his life wasn't necessary, not after everything Tanjiro had done for Nezuko. It just wasn't fair. If anyone had a right to say that their life wasn't important, it would definitely be him. At least that was what Zenitsu concluded.

Even their newest companion's life was just as important to Zenitsu.

Actually, speaking of their newest companion…

Zenitsu turned towards the only other occupant in the room and could only gape at what he saw.

Inosuke had completely fallen asleep.

"What?!" Zenitsu exclaimed, dumbfounded at how Inosuke had fallen asleep through everything. Was Inosuke blessed with ears that were not cursed like his?

"How is he asleep?! How did he fall asleep while we were talking?!"

Tanjiro chuckled in amusement. "I think Inosuke must have been tired from all of today's fighting." He paused and turned to Nezuko, who hummed in reply. He nodded at her and looked back at Zenitsu. "In fact, I think we should go to sleep too."

"Fine…" Zenitsu muttered, his cheeks puffing in defeat. "But I'm not done talking to you about what you said. I'm going to make sure you understand that you can't say that kind of words."

Tanjiro smiled so bright and soft that Zenitsu honestly almost forgot why he was supposed to be annoyed. It frustrated Zenitsu. How could Tanjiro smile when he was trying to scold him? And the fact that his smile could wash away any anger and irritation in the blink of an eye and replace it with giddiness and a sense of ease? How was he supposed to stay angry at Tanjiro now when the red-headed boy made him want to forgive him? If only Zenitsu could gain the skill to ignore the bright smiles and remained fixated on his anger.

Deciding that his scolding would just have to be put aside for another day, Zenitsu followed Tanjiro and Nezuko to bed, settling in his futon. He began to listen to the sounds around him, slowly closing his eyes at the melodic tune his ears picked up the most. There was only sound Zenitsu could never get tired of listening to and it was the lovely sound of bells ringing softly right next to him.

Zenitsu cursed his ears, but for the moment, he decided they were a blessing.

A blessing that would quickly be disregarded by the next morning.

* * *

**Omake**

Zenitsu stared at the wide-open door that led to outside with longing in his gaze. Tanjiro and Inosuke were currently outside going through simple exercises (well more like Tanjiro trying to stop Inosuke from doing anything strenuous). Tanjiro had initially wanted to close the door for Zenitsu, but the yellow-haired boy had declined. While he couldn't go outside without having to cover every part of his body, he still wanted to gaze at the scenery lit by the warm sun above. It was different to look at than at night when everything was far too dimmed to make out in the pure darkness.

"Mmph!"

Zenitsu snapped out of his thoughts with a yelp and turned, his eyes falling to the source of the voice that called out to him. He half expected to find the old monster lady ready to ask if he needed anything else, but instead, he found Nezuko standing in front of him gripping a blanket in her hands, her pink eyes as clear and kind as ever. She took a step forward and sat down next to him, beginning to wrap the blanket over Zenitsu's shoulders.

Zenitsu could feel the heat travel from his cheeks to the tips of his ears as he tried to desperately stop Nezuko, but she ignored every word, stopping only when she finished cocooning him in the thick blanket.

"Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu huffed in defeat. "You didn't have to do this for me…."

Nezuko shook her head and pointed to the wide-open door. Even though she couldn't speak, Zenitsu knew what she wanted to convey.

_You're too close to outdoors. Please cover yourself._

"Thank you, Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu murmured with fondness. He paused as a thought suddenly made its way to his head and turned to her with a hesitant smile.

"Do you want to share this blanket with me?"

Nezuko stared back in silence for several seconds before nodding her head in reply. Zenitsu allowed himself to move closer to Nezuko as he wrapped the blanket around her too, covering them both in its warmth and protection. The two sat together in silence, only staring at the scenery in front of them as they listened to Inosuke taunt Tanjiro some more. It was calming. Being close to Nezuko's sound made Zenitsu feel at ease. It was nice knowing that both of the Kamado siblings had that kind of effect on him.

Still, that didn't stop him from asking the question that had been bothering him for so long.

"Nezuko-chan, do you miss it?"

Nezuko turned to Zenitsu in surprise, her eyes flashing with worry and confusion. Knowing that she wouldn't reply, Zenitsu continued.

"I know Tanjiro says he's going to cure us, but what if there's a chance that we'll be stuck like this? What if we won't ever get the chance to go outside again and feel the sun? I-I miss it…"

Zenitsu narrowed his eyes, feeling nothing but hate for himself. "And I just feel so useless. All I do is wait for someone to do something. I haven't contributed anything to finding the cure for us. I want to be able to help, but I'm just so weak. Even if I could help, I know I'll get in the way. I always do..."

Zenitsu trailed off, frustrated with his words. He blinked, fighting back the tears that threatened to break through.

"I'm just so pathetic, Nezuko-chan. Being here makes me feel like I'm not so useless. We're not fighting other demons or collecting blood for the cure. We'll just here recovering- doing nothing. And I hate myself for being happy that we're here. I'm only useful when we're doing nothing."

Zenitsu gritted his teeth, wanting to do nothing more but go back to the comfort of a futon and fall to slumber. At least in his dreams, his weakness didn't haunt him. He was just as strong as he wanted to be- what everyone counted on him to be.

Zenitsu felt Nezuko's warm arms wrap around him, one hand reaching up to push Zenitsu's face into her shoulder. Zenitsu stiffened, wanting nothing but to tell Nezuko to let him go in fear of being so close to her. Normally any close proximity to Nezuko would have made him gush in excitement and clutch his chest in adoration, but this time, the sound of her heartbeat made him go silent and still. Her heartbeat was not as gentle as Tanjiro's and it certainly had the unpleasant tune of a demon's heartbeat (although just barely), but it was still just as nice to listen to. The sound of its flowing stream lured him in, offering its comfort and protection. How could he deny its warmth?

"Thank you…" Zenitsu mumbled breathlessly. All he wanted to do was focus on Nezuko's uplifting sound. He suddenly widened his eyes when he heard a single thought that echoed from Nezuko's sound.

_You're not useless, Zenitsu._

Zenitsu sniffled feeling the tears gathering in the corner from his eyes, but he made no movement to wipe them away. He still hated that he felt so worthless to the only ones he could call his friends, but for Nezuko's sake, he would forgive himself for the moment. No one had ever listened to him as she and Tanjiro had. He didn't know if even that was what friends usually did since he never had a friend to call his own in a long time. The two had done nothing but readily offer him their kindness, never expecting anything in return. And while Zenitsu knew he had been given more than what he deserved from the pair of siblings, he wished he was strong enough to repay for what they have done for him.

"Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu murmured quietly as he gazed back outside, his ears still focusing on the stream steadily flowing peacefully next to him.

"Let's go outside together one day, okay?"

And Zenitsu could not help the smile that found its way to his face at the sight of Nezuko's eyes beaming with delight at his comment. He didn't know when the cure would be made, but no matter what, Zenitsu wanted to help Nezuko feel the sun on her skin again. If anyone deserved that chance, it was her.

After all, he didn't deserve the sun anyway...

* * *

**A/N: **Before I give the date for the next update, there is one thing I would like to address and it's about Inosuke's actions in this chapter. It is noted by Zenitsu that Inosuke could have clearly killed him first instead of giving him a harsh beating. Now, why would he do that? Inosuke is brash and hotheaded, but he is tactical as shown later in the manga. Seeing the uniform Zenitsu was wearing as well as his sword made Inosuke confused, but interested. He didn't outrightly kill Zenitsu for the pure sake of his curiosity of Zenitsu's affiliation with the Demon Slayer Corps and to see if Zenitsu would pull out his blade to fight back. Of course, he got tired of waiting. Anyhow, the next update will be in February with the start of the long-awaited Natagumo Mountain Arc. As always, thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I don't think any apology I make will explain why I didn't update in February. Too much happened with college, work and my health that I lost the motivation to write this chapter. When I finally found my motivation last month, quarantine happened and I became busy trying to balance college online at home while trying to stay positive after my study abroad trip to Paris was cancelled. Its been way too long and for that I am sorry. I won't say much other than I will try to get the next chapter out soon. I am not abandoning this story. Also, a huge thank you for all the support over these last two months. Every follow, favorite, review did not go unnoticed, so thank you!

**Lazerwolf2000: **Oh yes, Zenitsu is definitely stronger than before, but his internal fears are holding him back from making that realization.

**Qween of Troll:** Zenitsu needs all the hugs he can get. He's been through a lot so far.

**YJV:** Indeed.

**Yagami Kazuki:** Thank you!

**Mopola:** Agree.

**Kyunlei:** Thank you! I've planned more wholesome interactions between the three with Inosuke included just being himself. I think the interaction Zenitsu has with the Kamado siblings is what everyone has generally liked so far.

**NotCold361:** Thank you! And while Zenitsu is not like Nezuko with her rare ability to survive without human blood, I will say he will have a demon blood art. It's a bit too soon to reveal what it is, but be sure to look forward to it in the future.

**Aldojuhansifa:** I'm sorry I didn't know what a fujoshi was until I looked it up. Unless I have any pairings tagged, don't expect anything like that.

**Spacedaddy42:** Aww thank you! And oh yeah, Inosuke definitely will come around. As for Zenitsu's moment with Nezuko, it was something I really enjoyed writing. I plan for more moments like this in the future to write.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Hold up!" Zenitsu called out frantically to the two running in front of him. "Could you guys please wait!"

Both Zenitsu's companions ceased their movement and turned back to Zenitsu, surprise noticeable in both of their sounds. While Inosuke showed no visible emotion with his mask being currently on, apprehension immediately crossed Tanjiro's face. Zenitsu felt his stomach drop knowing that he was making Tanjiro worry about him again.

"What's wrong, Zenitsu?" Tanjiro asked patiently, his voice filled with pure concern over his well being. It sickened Zenitsu that Tanjiro was more worried about him than the dark looming forest in front of them.

He really wished the three of them could have stayed longer at the old monster lady's house. Being able to relax and not worry about fighting demons was nice and comforting. Sure Zenitsu had to hide his condition from the old lady, but she still treated him kindly. In fact, she never bothered him to take off his mask. She let the trio stay for weeks, providing them meals and lodging, never expecting anything in return. How could Zenitsu want to leave such a place in which he was safe and well-tended to?

But they did and it was all thanks to Tanjiro's annoying crow. A day after Tanjiro and Inosuke had been checked and officially cleared by the doctor, the crow had decided to give them their next order: they were all to head to a place called Natagumo Mountain. While Zenitsu had never heard of the mountain before, he knew that it was certainly another demon's nest. That was all the crow ever sent them to. And the crow ordered them to head to the mountain without any further delay. It was a wonder how he was able to follow Tanjiro and Inosuke without breaking down in fear after the old monster lady had bid them goodbye with a ritual for good luck for their next dangerous mission.

Well almost. Here he was now sitting on the ground, trembling at the creepy vibe he was getting from the mountain in front of them. How could Tanjiro and Inosuke not see that the mountain was a place they shouldn't dare enter? Even Chuntaro, the sparrow given to him by Tamayo, was admonishing him for his fear by pecking the back of his neck from inside the scarf she had buried herself into, the place she had come to like to stay in beside the top of his head. He disliked how the not so loyal sparrow was adamant on making him follow Tanjiro and Inosuke to complete their mission. He could hear too many ominous sounds coming from inside it. The mountain was crawling with something evil.

"Why the hell is he sitting?" Inosuke grumbled in irritation from inside his boar mask as he looked over to Zenitsu. "You're pissing me off."

"I don't want to hear that from you pig-head!" Zenitsu snapped, ignoring another peck from Chuntaro and raising his shaky index finger at the other. "If anything, I should be the one pissed off! It's clear that I'm the only normal one here who can tell that mountain is scary! We shouldn't go inside it!"

Both boys silently stared back at Zenitsu and turned to the looming mountain in the distance. Zenitsu could have sworn that the clouds above the mountain were abnormally darker now. It was a sure obvious sign of the danger looming inside the mountain. The longer Zenitsu gazed at the foreboding clouds, the more his body began to tremble. Why couldn't the three of them just turn away from this mission?

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro said gently as he turned back to his trembling friend. "I know you're scared, but we can't sit here. There might be others inside that need our help. We can't leave them alone."

Zenitsu clamped his mouth shut, eyes slowly moving solemnly down at the ground in pure shame. Tanjiro was not like his grandfather when it came to scolding. While his grandfather would scold him by whacking him with his cane until he was sure the lesson was drilled into Zenitsu's head, Tanjiro would simply scold him with just his words. And Tanjiro was patient and gentle with his scolding, always making sure his words never emotionally hurt the other. Sure Tanjiro never spoke harshly to hurt Zenitsu, but it still hurt to be scolded by him. The last thing Zenitsu wanted to do was let down the red-headed boy. If only he could be as strong as Tanjiro and Inosuke.

As Zenitsu felt the desire to cry again over his lack of courage, a sound of pain suddenly reached Zenitsu's ears. He whipped his head up in time to see Tanjiro already bolting to the mountain with Inosuke not too far behind. Not wanting to be left behind, Zenitsu reluctantly got up and followed, ignoring the loud chirps of Chuntaro from behind his neck. He was sure the sparrow was telling him to pick up his pace. Zenitsu came to a stop behind Tanjiro, quickly hiding behind him as he gazed down at what was slowly crawling out of the mountain. It was a black-haired boy. The boy wore a black uniform, an indication that he was a demon slayer, but he was heavily wounded. Once the struggling boy noticed the trio, he shakily called out to them, blood splattering to the ground from his mouth as he spoke.

"Help…. me…" the boy helplessly begged, tears running down his cheeks as he tried to reach slowly forward to the trio with his hand. "Save… me…"

"Are you alright?!" Tanjiro called out, not wasting a second to run forward to the wounded boy. "What happened?!"

However, before Tanjiro's hand could reach out to the other, the wounded boy was suddenly yanked back to the mountain by an unseen force. The boy disappeared beyond the trees as his desperate screams for help trailed off in the distance. The only thing that remained was the eerily silence. Zenitsu stared wide-eyed at the entrance, his body too shocked to make any movement besides gape in pure horror. The heavily wounded boy had been pulled back by something after nearly making it out of the mountain. If the three entered the mountain, would the same happen to them? If they tried to escape, would they be pulled back into the mountain's clutches, never to see another light of day?

"I'm going."

Zenitsu blinked in shock at the calmness of Tamjiro's bold statement, turning to the red-haired boy in disbelief. Inosuke wasted no time to react to Tanjiro's remark and took a step forward, slightly shoving Tanjiro to the side with his shoulder. He placed his hands over his blades, turning to the other with excitement that buzzed from his chaotic sound. Couldn't the guy at least show some fear at what was inside?

"I shall be the Vanguard!" Inosuke guffawed, his voice filled with pride. "You can just bring your trembling buttocks and follow me. I'm hungry to fight another demon."

"Y-you can't be serious…" Zenitsu muttered, his voice cracking up from the overwhelming fear. Tanjiro turned back to him and landed his calming red eyes at Zenitsu's trembling form, a frown slowly finding its way to his face. Gently, he called out to the frightened yellow-haired boy.

"Zenitsu, let's go inside together."

"I-I can't Tanjiro," Zenitsu answered, ignoring the way Inosuke's sound grew louder with irritability at his reluctance to barge into the mountain as well.

"I'm not strong like you and Inosuke. A demon won't waste its breath on me, but I know I will make a mistake and it will cost you your life. You'll get eaten because of my weakness. I-I can't do that to you."

Tanjiro tilted his head in confusion, but smiled, his lips faintly curling up in gratitude. He walked forward and took Zenistu's hand into his, catching the yellow-haired boy off guard.

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro said, his voice steady, but gentle. "Please don't say that. You are strong. I'm grateful that you don't want me and Inosuke to get hurt, but I don't want you to stay here alone."

Tanjiro's hold gripped tighter as he spoke once more.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Zenitsu, you have to trust me that anything you do will never hurt me or Inosuke. Let's be brave together, okay?"

Zenitsu wanted to deny Tanjiro's words. He truly wanted to, but the truth was he couldn't. He couldn't refute anything. Even though he could feel the anxiety and fear bubbling up in his chest, he knew he couldn't let these things stop him. Not when Tanjiro was waiting for him to enter the mountain together with him and Inosuke. How could he let Tanjiro down when the red-haired boy had consoled him and offered him his support. It wouldn't be right to let Tanjiro go by himself now, especially with someone as barbaric as Inosuke.

That was why Zenitsu decided to take Tanjiro's hand and allowed the other to lead him to the mountain's entrance.

The three ran through the dark forest, crossing over shrubs and logs that littered the ground on their path. Soon their path also began to become littered with spiderwebs, too many for Zenitsu to want to continue to ignore. There was no doubt in Zenitsu's mind that the spiderwebs were connected to a demon. He felt hand gripped tighter onto Tanjiro's haori at this thought when he heard a rustle from a bush to his left. He stopped and turned along with Tanjiro and Inosuke to find a dark-haired boy with his back towards them wearing the demon slayer uniform. Zenitsu almost let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the boy, but one quick look at the boy's trembling form made him pause in thought. The higher-ups from the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have sent this boy by himself, would they?

Tanjiro was the first to walk forward to the dark-haired boy, giving him a gentle tap to his cheek. The dark-haired boy immediately went rigid in response and whirled to face the the trio, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword ready to attack. However, once he realized that it was, in fact, a human and not a demon in front of him, the boy slowly relaxed, but Zenitsu could tell that the boy was still on edge.

"I'm Kamado Tanjiro." Tanjiro politely greeted, as he gestured to both Inosuke and Zenitsu. "And this is Hashibara Inosuke and Agatsuma Zenitsu. We're rank 10 and here for support."

"R-rank 10?" The boy sputtered, his face quickly going deathly pale at those words. He clenched his teeth, his shoulders shaking in terror.

"Why didn't they send a pillar?! The result will be the same, no matter how many level 10s come! It's pointless for you three to be here!"

A clenched fist suddenly flew to the boy's nose, slamming it to his face with a deafening snap. Zenitsu flinched from the abrupt sound, taking a step back in fright as Tanjiro sprung forward to elevate the situation, but Inosuke completely ignored any attempt Tanjiro made to pull him away from the black-haired boy. Inosuke roughly grabbed a fistful of the dark-haired boy's hair and pulled him harshly forward to his mask, his unmoving eyes staring back at the poor bloody-nosed boy.

"So annoying!" Inosuke grumbled with irritation from underneath his mask. He shook the boy in his grasp, pointing at him with his finger.

"If you keep insisting that things are pointless, then your very existence is pointless! We're here now, so just accept that, you coward! Make yourself useful and explain the situation!"

Knowing that if he didn't speak, Inosuke would give him another punch to his face, the trembling black-haired quickly explained the situation. He and a group of ten other demon slayers had received a command from their crows to enter the mountain. However, not long after entering the mountain, the group of demon slayers turned on each other and began to kill each other with their swords. They all struggled initially, trying to not draw their swords on each other, but their efforts were all in vain. The black-haired boy had watched as all his comrades killed each other mercilessly, while all he could do was watch in horror. Somehow, he had been able to escape and hide, but he had been the only one left. At least until Tanjiro and the others had found him.

"They were forced to kill each other?" Tanjiro questioned after the black-haired boy had finished his explanation. He lowered his gaze to the ground in thought as Inosuke finally released the black-haired boy's hair.

"D-do you think it was a demon? There's no way comrades would turn on each other, right?" Zenitsu asked, turning to Tanjiro with apprehension.

The red-haired slowly nodded at his comment but didn't answer. It frightened Zenitsu at the possibility that any of them could turn on each other with their blades. Maybe he wouldn't mind giving a good punch to Inosuke, but he didn't want to ever imagine himself sinking his sword into Tanjiro's body. How could anyone want to hurt the one that protected them? It was not something Zenitsu believed he could do.

"Ah!" The black-haired boy in front of them gasped, pointing at the bushes behind the three boys. The trio turned, their bodies becoming tensed at what they saw. Another demon slayer was slowly walking to them, his feet treading as the leaves and twigs underneath him crackled, but there was no sign of life in his blank unmoving eyes. Although he moved with each step he took, his limbs moved awkwardly, like a puppet being pulled on strings.

The boy was nothing more than a walking corpse.

And soon enough, more bodies of demon slayers appeared from behind the first corpse, all gripping tightly onto their bloody swords with blank eyes. Zenitsu was surprised to hear that some of them were alive, but their heartbeats were barely audible. They were going to fade away soon. It was horrible to realize that the demon slayers that were still alive could only see themselves kill another, having no way to free themselves from the demon that had them under its control.

It was a terrible thing to see before death.

"Zenitsu, move!"

Zenitsu widened his eyes and felt a calloused hand grab his arm, pulling him back as a sword struck the air where he had been standing. Trembling, he stared back at the corpse that tried to kill him, it's blank eyes staring coldly right back. The unfocused eyes were quickly blocked by Tanjiro's form. The red-haired boy unsheathed his sword and positioned his arm in front of Zenitsu, staring back determinedly at the wave of corpses in front of them.

"Ahahaha!" Inosuke laughed loudly nearby, his voice crackling from excitement. He evaded a swipe from a sword that had been aimed at his chest and followed with another dodge as another demon slayer moved forward to swipe at his neck. The pig-masked boy continued to dodge each attack with glee, until he finally kicked himself from the ground to land beside Tanjiro, positioning himself in front of the other.

"This bunch of people are idiots! Don't they know that it is forbidden for members to kill each other!"

"You can't say that you pig-head!" Zenitsu snapped from behind Tanjiro, pointing at the other with irritation. "You nearly killed me weeks ago!"

Inosuke didn't answer, but Zenitsu could have sworn he heard a pang of regret from Inosuke's rowdy heartbeat. He figured that he only imagined it. From the few weeks they spent together at the monster lady's house, Inosuke had proven what kind of guy he was. He was prideful, arrogant, and always itching for a fight. Still, Zenitsu had to admit there were times in which Inosuke would become oddly silent every time the monster lady offered him something pleasant like food. It had to mean Inosuke was learning how to be grateful. Hopefully.

"Inosuke, their movements are very strange! I think their movements are being controlled by a demon!" Tanjiro shouted, managing to block two strikes with his sword.

"Alright! Then I'll just chop them in half right now!" Inosuke replied back, waving his swords to the sky in affirmation.

Zenitsu widened his eyes and took a step forward, wanting to scold Inosuke more than anything at his lack of empathy for their comrades. How could he say that when some of the demon slayers were still alive? They didn't deserve to be chopped up to pieces when their bodies were not even under their control. And there was also the fact that they shouldn't even harm the demon slayers that were already gone. Their bodies deserved to be saved without any further harm more than anything now. He couldn't stomach the idea of burying the corpses in pieces.

"You can't chop them in pieces!" Zenitsu shouted, gritting his teeth in fury. "Some of them are still alive! And you can't harm the ones that are dead!"

"Fine Monitsu!" Inosuke grumbled in reply from underneath his mask, the sound of his rowdy heartbeat roaring in frustration.

"Ah!" The sound of their black-haired senpai's scream rang from behind.

Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro and Inosuke sprang to action, racing forward to their senpai and saving the poor boy from his two attackers. They brought both attackers to the ground, keeping the struggling corpses down. As Tanjiro twisted the corpse's arm back, Zenitsu caught onto something glittering in the moonlight attached to the corpse's back. It was much too thin to make out in the pure darkness, but he could see it now that he was close enough to the struggling corpse.

There were thin silver wires attached to the corpse's back.

And judging from Tanjiro's widened eyes, he had seen the same thing.

With a quick swipe from Tanjiro's sword, the struggling corpse was released from the wires stuck to his back, falling to the ground with a deafening thud. The body no longer twitched in movement, staying perfectly still. It had been freed.

"It's the wires!" Tanjiro shouted, looking back up from the fallen corpse. "They're being controlled by the wires! It's on their backs!"

"I've already figured that out!" Inosuke retorted, much too prideful to be beaten by Tanjiro. He jumped to action and quickly cut the remaining threads that were attached to the rest of their comrades. Once freed, the bodies all fell lifelessly to the ground around them, no longer at their tormentor's control. Zenitsu stared at the bodies with remorse, glad that the battle ended quickly with no further casualties or further damage to the bodies. No one deserved what they had been put through, being pulled with wires like puppets to do a demon's bidding. He was glad that they all were finally freed. Still, what kind of demon were they facing that had this kind of ability? Was it a demon that served directly under Kibutsuji?

As Zenitsu pondered over this, a sharp sound from his left made his body go rigid. Something small had jumped onto him, too small and barely noticeable. He was sure he wouldn't have heard it without his sensitive ears. Zenitsu quickly turned to see what had crawled onto his hand when he felt something yank it harshly upward, so forceful that it made him yelp out in pain. He tried to move his hand back down to his side, but the glittering silver wires that were now attached to his hand would not budge. They continued to pull his hand upward, a war that Zenitsu knew he would lose his arm for if he did not do anything in the next second.

"Zenitsu!"

Zenitsu nearly yelped again as a black sword came into his peripheral vision, swiftly swiping at the wires and freeing his hand with a snap. Zenitsu wasted no time to bring his hand to his chest, inspecting it for any injuries. While it was covered with the bandages he used for protection from the sun, it didn't mean he was protected from all other things.

Still, it looked like his hand was okay for now.

Wait, what was crawling by his feet?

"Aah!" Zenitsu cried, latching onto Tanjiro's arm in terror, his feet moving rather clumsily to dodge the eight-legged creatures that moved around below him. "There are spiders everywhere!"

"They must be linked to the people controlled by the wires," Tanjiro added, turning back to the corpses that were getting back up from the ground.

Zenitsu felt his chest tightened at the sound of regret that resounded from Tanjiro's heartbeat. Even if he wasn't to blame, Tanjiro still felt guilty for their comrades' situation. Tanjiro was kind, too kind to ever not feel guilty for things that were beyond his control. It felt wrong to Zenitsu for Tanjiro to want to shoulder everything-especially their comrades' bodies' lost of freedom.

"Cutting the wires won't work!" Tanjiro shouted at Inosuke and their black-haired senpai. "The spiders will reattach the wires!"

"Then let's kill all these spiders!" Inosuke retorted, already crushing the few that had managed to crawl near his feet.

"No, Inosuke! The spiders are too tiny and there is a large amount of them! We must find the demon controlling the spiders!" Tanjiro explained as he dodged a deadly swing from one of the corpses, taking its attention away from Zenitsu.

"Inosuke, if you are able to locate the demon with precision, then-"

A sound from up above suddenly emerged painstakingly resounding in Zenitsu's ears, contorted with cruelty and arrogance. The longer he listened, the more Zenitsu felt the panic begin to hammer in his abdomen, too unrelenting to stop. His breathing became more rapid and more shallow as the tension quickly spread to his face and limbs, his mind much too occupied with the realization of why the sound made him want to desperately run and hide. The sound was different in every few beats it made, but he recognized the same contorted pitch he heard the day he had been transformed to a demon.

The sound belonged to a Demon Moon.

Zenitsu's head spun as he dared to look above, his body already taking a step backward by Tanjiro's side. The demon stood above them on two thin wires that crossed under his feet. He was much shorter than Zenitsu had expected from a Demon Moon, a child nonetheless, but the sound from his heartbeat exemplified his power. He wore a yukata that had a cobweb pattern on the bottom and was pale white with red dots styled all over his face, his hair styled in a spider-like haircut that covered his left eye. The pale blue eye of his iris residing in crimson red sclera narrowed in disdain and annoyance. Although once the child demon's eyes landed directly onto him, Zenitsu saw a flash of emotion from the only visible eye. He immediately felt his chest tightened in terror, his hand clasping onto Tanjiro's arm, seeking the comfort of Tanjiro's heartbeat to keep him upright. He was terrified of the way the demon's one eye had looked at him.

"Don't disturb our clan's peaceful life here," the demon child said, his voice soft and yet instilled with authority and power despite his small stature. "Because you will all be killed by Mother in the next few moments."

The demon paused and his visible eye landed on Zenitsu's form once again.

"Except for you."

Before Zenitsu could react to the demon child's words, his body was suddenly yanked back, pulled away from Tanjiro into the thick vegetation behind. His desperate cries of help were useless. He could not fight the unseen force that had attached itself to his back and so easily pulled him away. All he could do was watch helplessly as Tanjiro tried to come to his aid only to be blocked by the wave of corpses that sprung forward to attack. Breath ragged and harsh, Zenitsu watched as Tanjiro, Inosuke, and even his black-haired senpai disappeared from his view, being replaced with the trees and bushes that littered the mountain. He hissed in pain as each branch that stood behind him whacked against his body, sending flares of pain to every limb. It seemed like whatever had latched onto him and pulled him back did not care about his well being. Zenitsu almost gave a sigh of relief once the constant torrent of whacks stopped, but it came with the realization that he had finally come to a stop. Ears ringing, he moved his head around, shakily taking in his new surroundings.

Zenitsu was now in a clearing, suspended in the air by the wires that had most likely snatched him away from his companions. There were wires attached to every limb and Zenitsu was sure to his back as well, prohibiting him from making any movement. The only thing he could move was his head. He felt slight movement from his the back of his neck, most likely belonging to Chuntaro. He could hear the sparrow chirping softly. Zenitsu was glad that the sparrow was with him. He had no idea how much more terrified he would be if he was alone. Listening to the sparrow's worried chirps, Zenitsu allowed himself to look around once more, his eyes finally looking up above where a lone wooden house stood, kept above by the wires that were attached to all around it. Bodies of demon slayers surrounded the wooden structure as well, tied by the same wires that were now attached to him.

Zenitsu stared at the bodies with wide eyes, his breathing becoming rapid with panic. Some of the bodies were normal, but there were those that had shrunken bodies and spider legs that replaced the limbs. He nearly gasped as his ears began to listen without his permission to the heartbeat inside the wooden structure. It was not as excruciating to listen to as the demon child's heartbeat, but the sound still belonged to a malevolent demon nonetheless. And it was slowly making its way down towards him.

Pure terror surged through Zenitsu's veins upon the sight of the demon that descended from the house. It was a giant spider with a human head and it was sadistically smirking back at him. The demon slowly made its stop in front of him, it's sound nearly sending Zenitsu reeling in shock from its proximity. It was a wonder how his ears haven't bled yet from all the contorted sounds he had been forced to hear since entering the mountain. It was all too much for his sensitive ears.

"Kufuu… What do we have here? A new demon hunter to join my collection of slaves?"

The demon smiled widely, twisted in the way he curled his lips, sending another wave of terror down Zenitsu's spine. He wanted to escape, but he knew the demon would laugh at his struggle. And even then, he was sure he didn't have the courage or strength to run.

"No, that can't be it." The demon muttered oddly with satisfaction. "That weak mother wouldn't have you my way with her threads if you were just another demon hunter, not with Rui watching. Which means…"

The demon moved closer to Zenitsu, nearly an inch away from his face, it's eyes staring back at his trembling form with amusement.

"Rui sent you to me."

Not giving Zenitsu the chance to react, the demon smacked Zenitsu's mask away from his face, ripping away the only source of protection Zenitsu had from both the sun and from any demon that would laugh away at his fear. He gazed back helplessly, completely breathless, as the spider demon took in all his demon features, his wide smile quickly growing by the second.

"Ahahaha! A demon?!" The spider demon erupted with laughter. Two of his furry legs pressed themselves onto Zenitsu's cheeks and forcibly turned his head to the side, further studying his demon features.

"To think a demon hunter would be turned to a demon, the very thing you hunters are sworn to kill. Tell me- how did it feel when those hunters you fought with turned their blades onto you? Did you kill them all before finding your way here?"

"No!" Zenitsu shouted, whipping his head back forward, his eyes glaring back in defiance even though he could feel the salty tears leaking through. He knew he was a demon, but he never would hurt a human, especially a demon slayer. He still wanted to cling to the thought that he still was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. And as a member, it was forbidden for him to hurt another comrade.

"No?" The demon questioned, the sound of his heartbeat shifting in irritation. He narrowed his eyes and brought his face closer to Zenitsu, eyes glinting coldly back.

"You can't be serious. Are you saying you still consider yourself a demon hunter?" The spider demon spat.

The spider demon raised its leg and pulled onto the wire that was attached to Zenitsu's right arm, yanking it forward harshly. Zenitsu could not keep in the cry of anguish that made its way from his mouth as unbearable heat spread up from his arm to his hand, followed by a loud pop. He could feel his arm slowly reattach itself to its socket, but the constant throbbing could not stop him from squeezing his eyes shut to mask the pain.

"Kufuu… If you were human, you wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly from such an injury." The spider demon's voice resounded with bemusement, obviously enjoying the torment it inflicted upon Zenitsu.

"Quit lying to yourself that you are a demon hunter. It's useless for you to act like you are still one of them. They will kill you if you don't kill them first."

"T-that's not true…" Zenitsu forced himself to reply back, teeth chattering in an effort to keep his jaw still. He could hear the spider demon's sound shifted in pitch at his answer, becoming distorted with deep annoyance. He knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing.

Before Zenitsu could react, the spider demon grabbed onto each wire attached to all four of his limbs and pulled them with such force that it sent Zenitsu reeling back as black spots clouded his vision. He could hear a sharp ringing sound invading his thoughts, becoming louder before it finally stopped with several loud pops. Zenitsu could faintly hear someone screaming in the distance. It wasn't until he felt how hoarse his throat was after the screaming had ceased that he realized he had been the one who had screamed.

Gasping for air, Zenitsu desperately tried to ease the searing pain that emerged from each socket of his limbs. It was aggravating, but he could already feel his body begin to pull each bone back to where they belonged. Still, it came at the expense of his energy. Zenitsu was terrified of the idea of what would become of him if the demon continuously tried to injure him. He was a demon, but a weak one at that. There was only so much his body could handle before it would give up in healing his injuries until he ate more human blood. He had to find a way to escape before that happened.

"Kufufu, you are just as bad as Mother." The spider demon spoke, his voice laced with cruelty. It sickened Zenitsu that the spider demon was enjoying hurting him. Then again, what was Zenitsu supposed to expect from any demon?

"She can't take a hit from Father without breaking down in tears." The demon continued with a slight chuckle, mouth curving upward in thought. "I wonder what kind of human you were. It seems like a coward given how you won't fight back. You're quite useless aren't you?"

The demon leaned closer, a sadistic grin adorned on his face. "But you know? There's nothing to be afraid of. You can devour all the humans you want here. You can even make those demon hunters pay for turning their backs away from you. I know you want that. Even you can't be stupid to understand that. You're their enemy now-their prey. It's only right you pay them back."

Zenitsu swallowed, finding that he couldn't speak. The demon was right about him being a coward. It was the one thing that still stuck even beyond his transformation into a monster. And he hated himself for this. He wanted to be a proper human being and prove that he could save others. And yet, he would run and cry instead at any sight of a demon. And even then, he always had to be saved by someone- from Gramps, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Shoichi. He couldn't think of a time in which he managed to protect someone else. He was useless, so pathetically useless in what he couldn't do for others.

He never could change.

But the spider demon was wrong about him not having to be afraid. He was still afraid of many things- not knowing if Tanjiro and Inosuke were safe, for all the demon slayers members that were tied up around him, and still for the corpses that he had been forced to leave behind that were probably still being used as puppets. Of all the things he was afraid of, none of his fears directly involved his own safety. Zenitsu didn't have the heart to believe that he mattered anyway.

But the reality that as a demon, he was the Demon Slayer Corps enemy wouldn't sink in. No matter how much the spider demon pushed the idea to him, Zenitsu still wouldn't accept it.

He wanted to change and do things properly, a goal he had long set out for himself after being taken in by Gramps. Since then, his goal had only become muddled by his fears and anxieties, soon becoming impossible for Zenitsu to want to achieve. He had changed, but not the way he wanted. And now, all he could do was try to be a proper human. He knew there were going to be those that would not accept him, especially those from the Demon Slayer Corps. He was taking a gamble staying with Tanjiro and the others. He knew that at any moment, he could be killed for what he had become by any member. There was no denying that they had the right to behead him. It was one of the reasons he had been so frightened at first to leave the disheveled house he had found shelter in before Tanjiro had found him. He had been afraid to face that kind of reality.

But it was different now. There were those that believed in him and didn't see him as a monster. Despite everything, Zenitsu felt more sure than ever that he could never hurt a Demon Slayer Corps member.

After all, he wasn't a proper demon to begin with.

"Kufufuu… Did you finally get it what you are?" The spider demon asked as he leaned forward to Zenitsu. "You must be starving hmm? Since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you kill a few of my slaves. After all, I can always get-"

"Chun!"

Zenitsu widened his eyes as Chuntaro suddenly swooped in from behind him and gorged her beak into the spider demon's left eye, tearing into it with no remorse for the demon. With a flap of her wings, she left the spider demon to pull away and scream at his wound and flew back to Zenitsu's side. Zenitsu watched as the loyal sparrow made haste with the precious time she had obtained and cut through the silver threads attached to Zenitsu with her beak. When the last wire had been finally cut, Zenitsu felt gravity take over and felt his body plummet to the ground below. He landed harshly on his back, not being to stop the tears that made their way down his cheeks at the flare of pain that erupted from his aching back. Despite this, he still pushed his body up from the ground. Being on the ground was better than being immobilized and tormented by the spider demon above him. He was all the more grateful for having Chuntaro there to help him.

"Thank you, Chuntaro," Zenitsu breathed in gratitude, as the small sparrow landed on his shoulder, rubbing her cheek assiduously onto his own cheek. He noticed that the sparrow took special care to not rub the blood that now stained her beak onto him, something that he took gratitude in. The sparrow cooed and took off from his shoulder to the sky, disappearing into the branches of a tree nearby. Although the tiny sparrow was no longer in sight, Zenitsu could hear the sparrow's heart still beating. He had no doubt Chuntaro would rush forward to help him if needed. And although he wanted the sparrow's help, he couldn't imagine what the spider demon would do to the loyal bird if she was seen again. He couldn't stand the idea of seeing another bird being torn to shreds because it tried to save him. He didn't want to see that again.

"What the hell?!" The spider demon spat above him, now glaring down at him with his newly regenerated eye. "Demon or not, you're going to pay for that! Pounce on him!"

Zenitsu's ears screamed at him to move and he did not hesitate to react. With a kick from his legs, he sloppily moved to the right, watching as three spider-like creatures with human heads shot at the spot he had been standing at with a stinger attached to their tongues. He stared at the creatures in horror, recognizing the same features he had seen on some of the demon slayers tied up above him. Was this what the spider demon meant by 'slave'? Is this what he turned any member he managed to catch into? The idea sickened Zenitsu, almost making him reel back from the shock of the realization.

"Ouch!" Zenitsu suddenly cried, pulling his hand away from whatever had bitten him. He looked down, horrified to see that one of the spider-like creatures had snuck up from behind. It stared back at him with empty eyes, mouth opened with its tongue hanging from it as dark purple liquid trickled off the stinger. Zenitsu shakily lifted his hand up to his face, widening his eyes at the sight of the abnormal swelling.

"Kufufu... A demon should heal from poison in a few seconds," the demon said above him with a grin, his eyes glinting with maliciousness. "I've tried with Mother before, but she always recovered before the dizziness set in. However, I've never had a demon injected with my venom more than once. I wonder how much a useless demon like you can take before you succumb to it. Will you lose your brain like my slaves here?"

The spider demon cackled with laughter, his mouth widening with crazed excitement. "I don't think Rui will mind if I have some fun with you. Since you still want to still believe that you're a demon hunter, then I'll make sure you'll suffer like one. Stab him with more venom!"

Zenitsu yelped in terror as his sensitive ears alerted him to move. He clumsily stepped to the side, barely avoiding a pair of stingers that launched out at him. He moved to avoid more of the deadly stingers, but despite his effort, he was not fast enough to avoid all the stingers. He could feel a stinger sink itself deeply into his shoulder with several more not too far behind. He hissed in pain, tumbling to the ground and feeling the cold ground pressed against his face, as his body became paralyzed with terror and panic.

He gritted his teeth and tried to move to get back up, hearing more of the spider-like creatures already pouncing onto him, but his body would not respond. All he could do was scream as more stingers pierced into his skin not being to ignore the crackles of laughter above him taking satisfaction in his suffering. He could feel searing hot pain quickly spread throughout his body, which forcing Zenitsu to squeeze his eyes tightly shut in an effort to cope with the unbearable pain. He tried to move his limbs once more, but his limbs were now too numb to respond to his thoughts. Soon, he realized it didn't matter any longer. He couldn't make a coherent thought with his throbbing head. A crushing pain was pounding against his skull, too unrelenting to stop.

At that moment, Zenitsu knew that there was no possible way for his body to recover.

He gasped for air, already feeling the hot salty tears stream down his cheeks as all his fears instantly weighed down on his conscience. Zenitsu wanted to be protected. He desperately wanted someone to protect him, but Tanjiro, Nezuko, and even Inosuke were not there to help him. Even Chuntaro couldn't help him. No one could.

Zenitsu was utterly alone.

And Zenitsu was not ashamed to realize that he accepted that. It was a fitting end for him really. There was no point for him to even try to fight to live when no one expected him to accomplish anything to begin with. Even as a human, all he ever did was run and cry. Tanjiro assured him countless times that this didn't matter, but Zenitsu knew there was no point in curing a mistake like him. Turning into a demon only seemed to solidify the fact that he was a coward.

Still, he couldn't stop the pang of regret at the idea that wasn't able to protect the ones that had found him. He wanted to protect them just as they have done so for him.

"I'm sorry… Tanjiro, Nezuko-chan…" Zenitsu whispered, his voice barely audible as a wave of dizziness overtook his thoughts.

'_I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to protect you guys._'

With those words, Zenitsu allowed his consciousness to fade to the darkness awaiting him, letting himself fall finally to a world of dreams.

Only, it was never over in his dreams…

In his dreams, he could fight.

* * *

**Omake**

"Zenitsu!" Tanjiro screamed, swiftly dodging an attack from a sword that had been aimed at his neck. He moved to follow where Zenitsu had been dragged away to but was promptly stopped by a group of corpses, all aiming their sword at him. He felt his body shake with worry and fury. He was wasting time. The longer he was occupied, the further Zenitsu would be taken. While he had no idea what the demon wanted with Zenitsu, he was not going to waste precious time to save him. He promised he would protect Zenitsu.

"Banchiro, Monitsu will be fine! He's a demon! He'll survive whatever they decide to do to him!" Inosuke shouted from Tanjiro's side, kicking himself from the ground to the air, effectively avoiding the swipe of swords around him.

"But-" Tanjiro started to say, but he was cut off from their senpai.

"A demon?!" Their black-haired senpai called out, his eyes nearly bulging out in terror at Inosuke's words. "You're telling me that guy that was taken was a demon?! Why is he with you two! He could have attacked any of us!"

Tanjiro felt his body go still, his eyes already narrowing at their senpai. He knew that their senpai had every right to be scared of Zenitsu, but it still felt wrong. Zenitsu had proven that he would never hurt anyone. He was kind, always putting others before himself. And for that, Tanjiro instantly wanted to deny their senpai's words. However, before Tanjiro could even get one word out, Inosuke had already rushed forward and slammed his fist into their senpai's face for the second time of the day.

"Oi! Monitsu may be a demon." Inosuke huffed, his voice surprisingly filled with irritation. "but he's our comrade!"

The hotheaded boy grabbed onto a fistful of the boy's hair and pulled him harshly forward to his mask, his unmoving eyes staring coldly back. "So what if Monitsu's a demon! Monitsu is not pointless like you!"

"Please," Tanjiro interrupted as he blocked a strike from a sword from his left. "Zenitsu is not like other demons. He would never hurt us."

The black-haired senpai stared back in silence before releasing a sigh, moving his hand to wipe away a streak of blood that had slowly trickled from his mouth.

"Fine." He replied as Inosuke finally released him. "But you two have some explaining to do."

"Thank you," Tanjiro spoke, grateful for their senpai's agreement to listen. It was not much but it was all he needed for now. On the other note, it was time that they put a stop to the demon that was moving the corpses around them with the wires. They still needed to find Zenitsu.

"Inosuke, can you locate where the demon controlling the wires!" Tanjiro yelled to the pig-headed boy.

"Ah! I get it! Alright!" Inosuke yelled back in annoyance, shaking his swords furiously at Tanjiro. "You're so damn annoying, Banchiro!"

Tanjiro ignored Inosuke's comment and continued his focus on blocking every sword that moved to swipe at him or Inosuke. Too much time had already been wasted and although he knew he shouldn't be impatient helping the corpses around them be set free from the demon controlling them, he wanted to find Zenitsu.

"Found it!" Inosuke roared back, waving his sword boisterously at the thick bushes nearby them.

Tanjiro nodded in gratitude and narrowed his eyes, his eyes locking in the direction Inosuke pointed at.

It was time for them to move.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! The next update will be next month.


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